A Sorceress in Middle Earth
by DragonGatz
Summary: In this AU Fili, Kili and Thorin survived the BOTFA. Who is the mysterieous girl Fili and his brother stumble upon during their little hike in Mirkwood? Her way of speaking is as odd as her clothes and her looks. The story behind her is something that has never been heard in Middle Earth before, or is it? Crappy summary but I hope you'll give it a go!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey kids, I'm back!  
This time I'm taking you to the wonderful place of Middle Earth, created by the one and only J.R.R. Tolkien :)  
As usual; English is my second language so any misstakes in grammar or spelling are totally my own. Disclaimer; I own nothing that belongs in the Hobbit-franchise only my OC and the family and things belonging with her.  
I hope you will like it!**

 **Love D.**

 _This story begins in a faraway world not to different from ours. It actually starts in a big city much like London or New York. But if you look closer, you can see the tiny details that shows how very different it really is. The streets are impeccably straight, everything is made out of concrete and glass and there isn't as much as a bumblebee in sight. Surrounding the city is a big vast of emptyness, in each direction one very straight road is leading out from the city itself. Far off in the distance, almost like a mirage a big, endless forest is spotted. It is a bright summer's day and everyone is getting ready for the big midsummer-celebration. All except one. In one of the tall buildings there lived a seemingly normal family but they had a secret that very few knew about. And were the only ones not decorating their apartment for the celebrations that would take place in twodays._

 __She ducked under her mother's outstretched arm and walked into her big closet, climbed up on a stool and reached out for her big green backpack that was situated on the top shelf. She pulled it down and lobbed it over her mother, whom was visibly taller, onto the bed.

"Are you really sure about this darling? Everyone will miss you at the celebration on Saturday." There would be a big gathering with food, drinks, fireworks and dancing in one of the market-squares not far from where they lived, celebrating the summer and the new year to come.  
"Yes I am sure, and no they won't, there is a reason I work with books and not people." At a young age she had discovered that she didn't like big noisy crowds and since then she had done whatever she could to avoid them.  
"I know darling, but your father and I will miss you." Her mother stroke her cheek and looked down on her with big, caring eyes. If you just gave them a quick glance, they were as un-like as two people could be, Liv, her mother, was tall, slender and blonde with huge blue eyes. Deidre on the other hand was short, curvy and had hair in a deep black that shimmered in blue when it was hit by the sun. One of her most stunning features were her eyes, they were big almond shaped and had a golden tone to them. But when you looked closer at the pair of them you started seeing the resemblance; the way they tilted their head, the way they moved around a room and other small details that became more evident and clear as you got to know them.

A door closed down stairs and a man's voice was heard;  
"I'm home!" Followed by heavy steps in the stairwell. Through the door came a man a bit shorter than his wife with pitch-black hair, tanned skin and almost whiskey-colored eyes. He had broad shoulders and swelling muscles underneath his shirt.  
Deidre gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek; "Hi daddy." The resemblance between them was clearly visible.  
"Hello darling, have a good day?"  
"Yes thank you." He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head before giving his wife a big kiss and a warm hug. He sat down at the desk and pulled her down into his lap.  
"I take it you are leaving?" He asked his daughter.  
"Yes, tomorrow morning. Could you possibly drive me?"  
"Of course."  
"Thank you daddy." Her parents left the room to allow her to pack in peace. 

**Ps. I know this was a very short first chapter, the following two will be the same but once we get further in they will pick up some length :)**


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning she woke up fairly early, showered and dressed in a pair of short, khaki-shorts, a black button-up shirt with its sleeves rolled up, socks and sturdy hiking boots. At her belt she hung a large hunting knife and a small flashlight. After she grabbed her backpack she looked around the room to see if she had forgotten anything, put on her big sunglasses and went downstairs to her awaiting parents. Her mother kissed her on both cheeks; "You be careful now and call us if you get into any trouble."  
"I promise, I love you too mum." She hugged her mother and walked out to the car alongside her father. They drove for a straight four hours out of town, leaving all the buildings further and further behind them. He parked the car at a small parking spot at the edge of the forest and turned to Deidre.  
"I hope you'll be careful now darling?"  
"Yes daddy, I promise. I'll give you a call when I am ready to come back home, okay?"  
"I will be here just like last year."  
This was the second year in a row she was out on this sort of hike alone. She had the need to get away from the very square life she was forced to live in the city so once a year, for many years now, she went to the forests either alone, or with her father for at least a week.  
"I love you." He gave her a warm hug and she grabbed the backpack jumping out of the car;  
"I love you too daddy. Tell mum not to worry."  
"I will." She closed the door and waved at him as he drove away. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the fresh air. As the sun hit her face and all she could hear was the birds she smiled big and left the hiking trail to make her way in towards the heart of the forest.

She walked in her own pace for the rest of the day, stopping later that evening at a small little spring coming out of the hillside. She set up her tent and crawled into the sleeping bag, falling asleep at an instant.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey lovelies! Only because chapter two was so incredibly short, you will get this chapter now too :)**

 **Love D.**

As the sun rose she got up, splashed her face with cold water, packed up her things and continued walking up a steep hillside. The sun was high and it seemed to be a very warm day. As it grew hotter she held one of the bottles of water in her hand so she could drink while she walked and didn't have to stop. After a few hours, when the position of the sun told her that it was late afternoon she heard two men arguing and wrinkled her brow, this was odd, she knew she was far away from any known trails. With a firm grip on the handle of her hunting knife she snuck closer towards the voices and before she knew it she was tumbling headfirst down a very steep hillside.

 _Since the battle that had almost cost both of them, including their uncle's lives, they had stayed with the elves of Mirkwood for recovery. They were completely healed by now but somehow it never seemed like it was the right time to go back to the Lonely Mountain and Thorin. Much of it had to do with Kili's unwillingness to leave Tauriel, and he himself didn't want to leave his brother alone with the elves for too long. He followed his brother away from the dancing and singing elves and out towards a part of the forest they hadn't explored yet, letting his younger brother know exactly what he felt about this;  
"This is stupid! You know what Tauriel has said about wandering off to far from the halls. Especially at this time of year!' He had had a bad feeling in his body since lunch that he couldn't explain so he just grunted; 'This doesn't feel good, at _all _!"  
"Lazybones, too long in bed and you never want to get out of it again! What are you so afraid off? That the elves will find out that we are gone?" Kili teased him.  
"It just feels wrong, the trees are anxious." He said in the same grunting tone.  
"The trees? Since when do you talk to trees?" Kili cocked an eyebrow at him but before he could come up with a witty answer something came rolling down the hill, something with arms and legs, almost crashing into them.  
"What in the darkest depts of Mordor was that?" Kili cursed trying to steady himself and brush some leaves away. They snuck closer; "I think it's a girl." Fili whispered._

 _She was lying on the ground in front of them being dirty, pale and almost naked. He couldn't help but to stare at her in awe of the unfamiliar look. Kili nudged her with his boot;  
"I think it is dead." Both of them jumped a bit startled as the girl moaned but didn't open her eyes.  
"I think she's just unconscious, we need to take her with us back to the elves, have someone look at her.' He walked closer and removed the big bag from her shoulders; 'Here, take this." He handed it to his brother before putting his arms around the girl and lifting her up. The girl stirred a bit but after he found a comfortable grip she settled down and with a heavy sigh her head fell against his shoulder and he had to look down to see if she was still breathing.  
"Bloody hell! How can she carry all this without a pony? It is heavy!" Kili complained and huffed a bit as the two of them made their way back towards the halls where the elves lived._

 _Halfway back they were met by a furious Tauriel along with a couple of guardsmen;  
"Where have you been? I thought I made it perfectly clear that you two were not to wander off again!" Before Fili had time to say anything his brother looked up at the elfish woman;  
"It is my fault, I needed to stretch my legs and forgot." Tauriel's facial expression softened and then she realized that they were not alone.  
"I understand that, but you shouldn't be wandering of at this time of year, forces are moving that you shouldn't be dealing with. You should have told someone where you were going. And what is this?"  
Fili stepped in; "We found her in the woods. She came tumbling down the hill and I think she's injured."  
Kili muttered under his breath; "Found. She almost killed us." But was quickly hushed by the others. "Come, let's get her into bed." Tauriel motioned for them to follow and she led them to rooms not very far from where they themselves were staying.  
"Put her here, then leave us, I need to undress her and you shouldn't be here then." She motioned for the bed and he softly lowered her down on top of the covers before both the brothers were shooed out the door that quickly closed behind them. The rest of the afternoon they ate and drank and at night he dreamt about golden eyes and ravens._


	4. Chapter 4

_There was so much pain, and falling, she was tumbling head first unable to stop herself. Someone spoke to her in a language she didn't understand. A bed. How could she be in a bed? She had been in the forest! There had been voices, and a root, then darkness and then nothing. It still smelled like a forest though._ _Cool, soft hands were on her forehead and searching her body. Mum? Dad? No, someone else, what had happened?_ _The light was so bright, she just wanted to close her eyes, but they were already closed, how was that possible?_  
She sat straight up in the bed and screamed only to fall back down on the pillow again while lightning bolts clouded her vision and her head felt like it would burst into a thousand pieces. Quick footsteps headed over to her and the cool hands were back on her forehead and she heard the questioning tone but couldn't understand the language.  
"I don't understand." She muttered through unmoving lips, every thought, every motion hurt her head.  
"I am sorry. I was asking how you are feeling little one?" The voice, a woman's, came floating into her ears with a singing tone.  
"My head hurts like I have been shot by a bazooka and the leg doesn't feel much better.' She still hardly moved her lips and her tone was sour; 'What happened, where am I?"  
She heard the woman sit down next to the bed.  
"You are at the Woodland Realm in Mirkwood, at the court of King Thranduil. I am head of the royal guard, Tauriel. Some friends of mine found you not far from here, you fell down the hill and hit your head. Your ankle has been twisted as well."  
"Mirkwood?" How was that even possible? There were no such place in the world she knew of. How had she ended up here? Thoughts rushed through her head and panic arose inside of her but reluctantly she pushed it away, she could panic when she was alone so she opened her eyes and through half closed eyelids she looked up at a fair skinned, tall, redheaded woman. Tauriel.  
The woman gasped when she saw the color of her eyes but quickly got control over her face again and gave her a soft smile.  
"How long have I been here?"  
"Four nights now. We were starting to get worried when you didn't wake up."  
A soft knock on the door caused them both to turn their heads, a tall man entered, he had dark eyebrows, sharp eyes and blonde hair.  
"Legolas." Tauriel bowed her head slightly.  
"So she is awake then?" He asked, leaning against a big desk across the room.  
"Yes. Little one, this is Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil." The man bowed his head slightly, still with a sharp look on his face.  
"And what is your name?" He then asked.  
"I am Deidre Conall."

They interrogated her a bit further on where she was from and how she had gotten to that place in the forest. She knew she couldn't possibly begin to tell them the truth so she told them that she had gotten away from her company and had been on her way to see a sick relative. They looks they gave her showed that they highly doubted it but for now they let it slide and didn't push her further. After some time, when the room was getting darker they finally left her alone. She tried to take long, even breaths to keep the panic away. She laid there, shivering and holding in her tears until it was no longer possible and they started falling down her cheeks onto the pillow. She felt incredibly lonely and lost. A thought hit her and slowly she crawled out of the bed and over to the corner where her backpack was standing. From the side pocket she withdrew her cellphone and turned it on. No signal. There was no reception what so ever and the screen must have been damaged in the fall because there were just flickering light going on and off in it, and nothing worked. She sobbed hard, placed it back in the same pocket again and crawled back towards the bed on her hands and knees, her ankle unable to hold her up. She pulled the blanket over her head and wept herself to sleep to the tunes of a lonely violin playing in the distance.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello darlings! I can see you sneaking around in here ;)**  
 **Just because I found out today that I got the job I applied foryou will get part five this evening!**

 **Have a nice night!**  
 **Love D.**

A light tap on the door woke her up, as she sat up and pulled the blanked close around her as the door opened up and a person that was neither Tauriel nor Legolas came in with a big tray filled with fresh fruit, eggs, bread and two bottles. The man, because he looked like a man, placed it on a table not far from her bed; "Good morning lady Deidre, I am Logon, here is some breakfast for you. If you wish to clean up I can have a bath brought in for you." He had fair skin, a warm smile, dark brown, almost black hair and kind dark blue eyes. She instantly felt relaxed in his presence.  
"Thank you Logon." She looked down at the nightgown someone had dressed her in and saw her hands that were still filled with dirt; "A bath would be lovely."  
"I will have it here in a short while my lady." He bowed his head and went back out through the door. She made her way over to the small table by the window on one leg and sunk down in one of the chairs. The food looked delicious and her mouth watered. One of the bottles contained fresh water and the other one a deep red wine. She ate slowly, her head still felt like a marching band was walking through it but she managed to keep the food down and soon she felt much better. The pounding in her leg reminded her about the first aid-kit in the backpack, so she hopped over to it and pulled it out. Her mother had packed not only the regular bandages and things but in the bottom she found what she was looking for, a big box of painkillers. Quickly she downed two with some water and hid the package in her bag again just in time for the door to open. It was Logon coming back in the company of three others; they were carrying a big bathtub, buckets of warm water and Logon had a screen under his arm that he folded up to give her some privacy. The other three left after making sure she had everything she needed.  
"Here is a towel for you, and I found you some clothes I hope will fit." He placed a small bundle on the bed before discreetly turning his back towards her. She unwrapped the bandage around her ankle, pulled of the nightgown and lowered herself into the water, instantly feeling her muscles relax. Behind the screen she heard Logon walk around and tidy up the room, making the bed and putting away the food. As the water cooled and the painkillers kicked in she cleaned off and dried herself with the towel. When she dried her hair she heard Logon give an order to someone at the door and when it closed again she couldn't help herself.  
"Logon?"  
"Yes?"  
"What is that language you are speaking?"  
"It is Sindarin Lady Deidre. Have you not heard it before?"  
"No, I am afraid not, I am not from around here." She pulled down the tunic he had hung on the screen and pulled it over her head, then she put on the leggings and barefoot limped around the screen, holding onto it for support.  
"Come and sit." He motioned for her to sit down at the table where she had eaten her breakfast. He sat down opposite to her and lifted her foot up in his lap. With careful hands he unfolded new bandages and wrapped it around the swollen ankle. She gasped when he tightened it and tied the ends together.  
"There, you will need to rest for a few more days before you can try and find your family again. Is there anything I can get for you?"  
"Thank you.' She lowered her foot down on the floor again; 'Some books would be nice. But preferably not in Sindarin if that is possible. Not that there is something wrong with that but it's just that I can't… I can't read it." She blushed. He chuckled and flashed her a big smile;  
"That could be arranged, I'll have them brought to you shortly. I will be around so if you need anything, just find me or send someone."  
"Great." She smiled back and he bowed slightly before leaving her alone.

During the day a stack of books was brought to her along with more food, she spent it reading in the bed, mostly it was poetry but the way it was written was totally different from what she was used to and quite enjoyable. As the night fell she got nervous again, if she had been unconscious for four nights, which would make this the fifth day she was here, and she had agreed with her parents that she would check in with them after a week to let them know she was all right. She had two more days to get back and probably one more before they would go looking for her.  
After some twisting and turning she drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_The night before he had thought he heard someone cry but when he looked out the door he heard nothing. As soon as it closed again, the crying was back. He picked up his fiddle and sat in the big windowsill playing a slow tune. As he stopped, so had the crying and he went to bed, quickly falling into the same worried sleep he had been having since the battle; horrible nightmares about orcs and dying had been the reason for the black circles under his eyes. Though the night before, just as the blade went through his body a calming voice sounded; "Don't be afraid, he can't hurt you anymore." And then he saw the most beautiful face he had ever seen with eyes like stars and hair like a raven._

 _Tonight he just twisted and turned, unable to fall asleep, the memory of last night's dream still fresh in his mind. After what felt like forever he gave up, pulled his pants back on and went for the door.  
"Where are you going?" Kili whispered, his voice drowsy with sleep.  
"Out, go back to sleep brother."  
"Okay, be careful."  
As he closed the door his brothers snores had already started again and he smiled to himself. He walked through the empty hallways, lit up by the moon, giving everything a silvery shade. A sound reached his sensitive ears and he decided to follow it. It lead him towards the rooms where they had left the girl, Tauriel had told them to stay away while she was unconscious. He heard the sound again and realized that it was crying, the same sound he had heard the night before. There were no elves in sight so he tapped the door gently and when there was no one telling him to leave he opened it gently and peaked in. There was a faint hint of lavender in the air._

 _Against the moonlight from the window he saw someone holding the covers over their head, and little sobs, muffled by the blankets, shook the bed;  
"Is everything all right?" He asked, keeping his voice low, not to scare the person.  
"I, I am fine, thank you." A small voice was heard over the sobs and the bed shook again.  
"Are you sure?" He didn't want to leave before he knew she didn't want company.  
"No." Another sob. He closed the door behind him and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. Hesitantly his hand hovered over the blankets before he placed it on what felt like her back. Another silent sob shook the blankets and awkwardly he rubbed her back, doing what he could to sooth her.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Everything.' Her voice was muffled and she continued; 'I am in a place I have never heard of, with people taller than most, speaking a language I have never heard anything like and I… I don't… I don't know where I am." The last sentence was uttered with a voice that almost broke his heart and he ran his hand over her back again, trying to gather his thoughts.  
"You are right here, in this bed, and trust me, I'm not taller than the elves." He said and tried to sound comforting. A sound between a sob and a giggle was heard and he smiled to himself.  
"See? I haven't even heard your name or seen your face, and I've already made you laugh. That is a start, isn't it?"  
Another giggle was heard and he continued; "Why don't you come up from underneath that blanket? You must be running out of air."  
A great deal of commotion happened under the covers and slowly she sat up, lowering it from her face, looking down on her hands;  
"I must look bloody awful, don't I?" Then she looked up and he gasped. The eyes might be red, her face swollen from the crying but it was most definitely the face from his dreams. At his gasp, she quickly looked down again, holding the blanket up as a shield between them.  
"You are a bit swollen, and maybe a little red, but you don't have the looks to look awful. It's just that your eyes…" He trailed of, unsure of how to continue.  
"What's with them?"  
"Nothing. It is just that I have a feeling I have seen you somewhere before." He murmured, feeling totally embarrassed about himself, and ashamed to say that he had dreamt about her. She must have read his mind because her next sentence was a shadow of what he had just been thinking;  
"Were you the one fighting that ugly troll? The one with the weird looks?"  
"Yes that was me, and it was an orc, not a troll."  
"Oh." She looked at him with an expression that told him she had never heard of orcs before.  
"How are you feeling? Tauriel and the other elves got a bit worried when you didn't wake up."  
She furred her brow at the change of topic and he could see how she mouthed the word 'elves' to herself before responding; "My leg is killing me and my head really hurts, but I feel better now than I did yesterday so to speak." A crooked smile quickly flashed a dimple on her right cheek._

 _Then he remembered his manners; "I am so sorry for my rudeness,' he stood up and bowed; 'Fili, at your service." Before sitting back down again.  
"I am Deidre Conall.' She held out her hand and he shook it; 'nice to meet you Fili. "  
"You too Lady Deidre." He gave her a cheeky smile and she blushed and looked down at their still connected hands with wrinkled eyebrows.  
"What?" He asked.  
"Nothing it is just that…" She trailed of as if she was unsure of how to continue the sentence but picked it up again; "I feel like I have seen you some place before, and I don't just mean in the dreams, well, it is complicated if you know what I mean?"  
He nodded and gave her half a grin; "Yes, I do understand. I was the one who found you, me and my brother that is. You were almost unconscious."  
"It could be a memory."  
"It could, do you remember what happened?"  
"I remember walking alone, far from any known trail when I heard two people arguing about something, I went to take a look and then I fell. I must have tripped. The next thing I know I woke up here, four days later." He saw her eyes fill up with tears again and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles._

 _They sat some time in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts then she met his blue eyes again; "Fili?"  
"Yes?"  
"Can I ask you something?"  
"Of course."  
"That troll, orc, in your dream, was that real?"  
_He looked down and she felt ashamed for asking and started pulling away but his grip on her hand hardened and she could feel anguish and pain radiate out from him, she sensed that he needed something to snap out of whatever was going through his head so she leaned forward and put a hand on his bearded cheek; "Fili? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."  
He pulled away slightly from her touch, then stood up and walked over to the window, staring out at the moon. She put her arms around her knees and just waited, knowing that sometimes silence was the best way to get an answer.  
In a low tone, different from before, he cleared his throat, turned back towards her and started talking; "I don't know how much you know about what has been going on for the last, I guess it is almost two years, now?"  
She knew his question wasn't really a question so she just silently shook her head as he continued; "It was almost two years ago now that we went out on our quest to take back the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. It all sounded like a walk in the park when Gandalf told us about it but to make a really long story short; at the end there was a huge battle, both Kili and myself was presumed dead along with our Uncle, Thorin, when Tauriel; whom you met, found us and discovered that there was the slightest chance we could make it. So she brought the three of us back here, Thorin left as soon as he was well enough to ride, but me and Kili has stayed behind. He has a thing for Tauriel and mother told me, as we left the Blue Mountain, to keep an eye on him and bring him home safe so I am not leaving until he is. Every night since the battle I've had terrible nightmares about the Orc that almost killed me. Up until last night, when I saw your face and you told me that he couldn't hurt me anymore. Was that just a dream Deidre?" His eyes were so filled with pain when he looked back at her that she almost burst into tears. It had been a dream, one she had shared, but how would she explain that?  
"No sweetheart, it wasn't. He can't hurt you anymore." She pushed herself off the bed and limped over to the short and sturdy man, now when she was standing up too, she realized that they were both almost the same height, she was just an inch or two taller. She put a hand on his shoulder and turned him away from the window and towards her instead, pulling him into a hug. Now it was his turn to shake from tears he was trying to hold back. She stroke his back, whispered little words of nonsense to him and finally he broke down and sobbed against her shoulder. She felt the fabric of her nightgown get wet but ignored it. After just a short moment he straightened up, looked extremely embarrassed and took a few steps away from her.  
"I am so sorry Lady Deidre, truly I am."  
"Don't worry, now you look as bad as me." She winked at him and limped back to the bed, her ankle throbbing with every heartbeat. He sat down at the edge of the bed again and stayed there until the light in the room started changing as the sun rose.


	7. Chapter 7

"Look at that, I have kept you up all night, I am so sorry. He stuttered and rose to his feet; 'I really should get back to my rooms, Kili must soon wonder where I am."  
"Try and get some sleep, you look like you need it. Will I see you again?"  
"I will be around, if not, just listen after me the next time you can't sleep." He said mysteriously and with a bow on the head and a grin that flashed a dimple he snuck out of her room. Even if she was dead beat tired she wasn't able to fall asleep. The events of the night kept circling around in her head. The door opened after a quick tap; it was Logon, bringing her breakfast.  
"Good morning Lady Deidre, have you had a good night's sleep?"  
"Good morning Logon, no not really, but nothing a little breakfast can't help." She smiled at him, trying to cover a big yawn. He chuckled and placed the tray on the table;  
"How are you feeling otherwise, your head and your ankle I mean?"  
"They are better, still have some trouble walking though." She threw her legs over the edge and heaved herself up, as she was on her way to the table he grabbed her elbow and steadied her.  
"Thank you." His closeness caused her to blush, his grip was firm but at the same time gentle and she noticed how she barely reached half way up his arm.  
"Logon?"  
"Yes?"  
"Do you want to keep me company?"  
"If it would please you my lady."  
"I think it would." He sat down at the opposite end and poured himself some wine.  
"Tell me Logon, am I the only non-elfish person here?"  
"No Lady Deidre, we have two dwarfs visiting, they are friends of Lady Tauriel. Brothers I think they are."  
"Oh, do you think I could meet them? I have never met a dwarf before." She had, last night, even if she didn't know then that he had been a dwarf.  
"I think that could be arranged my lady."  
She took a bit out of a strawberry and closed her eyes in delight, it was very sweet and had a rich taste. After a light conversation over breakfast where Logon had been overly polite as he always was, she couldn't help but to ask;  
"Why do you call me Lady? Where I'm from I don't have a title, I am just an ordinary person."  
"Everyone needs a title my lady. Even if it is just 'miss'."  
"Well then, call me miss?"  
"No my lady, you are a lady." His tone made it unable for her to argue against it.  
"I'm in my nighty so I don't feel very ladylike, but I take your word for it." She giggled and pinched the sleeves of her nightgown.  
He gave her a heartwarming smile and after they had finished he put the dishes back on the tray.  
"If you are feeling well enough I can show you around today, if you feel like a change in the scenery."  
"That would be lovely, I just need to put on something different. You don't happen to have a crutch or something for me to lean on, do you?"  
"I will see what I can find."  
After he left with the remains of their breakfast she took two more painkillers and dressed in the same tunic and tights as the day before, they were soft, earth colored and fit her curvy body surprisingly well seeing as the elves were both taller and more slender than her. She left both her feet bare as her ankle were to swollen to put any form of shoes on.

Another knock on the door announced Logons return. With him he brought an ornamented walking stick where the handle looked like the head of an eagle. The moment she saw it she knew it was one of the most powerful artefacts she had ever encountered even if the tall elf seemed unaware of it.  
"Are you ready Lady Deidre?"  
"Yes I am, oh this is beautiful!" She took the cane from him and ran her hands over the detailed work. She clearly felt how much power there was in it and had to calm herself down to not accidentally set something on fire. At her praises he looked a bit embarrassed; "Thank you my lady, it took some time to make it."  
" _You_ made this?!" She stared at him.  
"Yes, I have been working on it for some time now, I wasn't sure when it would get used but as I was looking for a cane that you could use, this wouldn't leave my mind as if it was meant to be yours. You can keep it if you wish."  
"Really? But I don't have any money to pay you with!" Her whole body almost tingled with anticipation, she just wanted to see what it could do.  
"You don't have too, seeing you smile is reward enough."  
She threw her hands around his neck and gave the dark haired elf a big kiss on the cheek that sent some color blushing up his pale cheeks. He cleared his throat and hooked her arm through his;  
"Are you sure you don't want any shoes on?"  
"Yes, I can manage without."  
"Well then, let's go." He held the door open for her and leaning heavily on the cane she stepped out in the glowing sunlight, gasping at the sight of the place.


	8. Chapter 8

The sunlight had a slightly green tone, sipping through many layers of green leaves in the tall trees that were the foundation of every building she saw. There was no concrete or metal anywhere in sight and she stared at the tree-buildings in awe.

"It is beautiful!" She gasped and Logon chuckled. Limping she made her way over the smooth ground to one of the walls and ran her hand over it, the wood felt alive, as if the tree was still growing, rooted to the ground.  
"How?"  
"We sing to them."  
"Sing?"  
"Yes, that is how we shape them."  
"Wonderful.' She tilted her head towards the smooth wall; 'it feels like it is still alive."  
"It is, all our trees are still growing, just in a different shape than before." His tone sounded like this was totally normal to him but she was still amazed, it was so different from what she was used too. They pranced slowly down a road clad with cobblestone and she looked around with huge eyes. Soon enough they came out too a big clearing, on the other side of the field a heard of horses pickled the grass. Logon gave a soft whistle, one of the horses lifted his head and came galloping towards them, and he was very tall and suited the elf by her side well but his closeness made her a bit nervous as she had never seen a real horse before, only on pictures.  
"This is Faran, don't be afraid my lady, he is a gentle soul." Logon stroke the neck of the horse and motioned for her to come closer. The big stud turned his head and their eyes met. Through the link she could feel that he matched Logon exactly so she stretched out a hand and touched his soft mule.

"Hello Faran." She came closer, comforted by the link she shared and Logons presence. Faran sniffed her face and she giggled. Logon came closer and she felt him brush against her back, his earthy scent mixed with Faran's in her nostrils and she took a deep breath. She felt his strong hands on her hips and before she knew it, she found herself on the back of the big horse and stroke his mane. A questioning vibe came to her and she replied with a nervous acceptance, then they were off in a soft trot around the opening, at first she was stiff but gradually she relaxed.

They spent a couple of hours with the horses and then left them to head back towards her room. By now her leg was pounding, her head spinning slightly and even though she knew she was pale she tried to keep a brave face up but somehow she leaned more and more on Logon's arm, limping harder and harder.  
Half way back they met Fili along with another dark-haired dwarf and Tauriel. Logon bowed for the head of the guard and then introduced the dwarfs;  
"Lady Deidre, this is Prince's Fili and Kili of the Lonely Mountain. My lords, this is Lady Deidre."  
She curtsied as much as she could with her cane and injured ankle and saw the crooked smile Fili tried to hide, despite the pain she could feel the matching smile playing in the corner of her mouth.  
"Ah, Logon, good, I need your help with something, could you please come with me?" Tauriel asked after asking Deidre how she was feeling.  
"Yes my lady,' he turned to Deidre; 'do you know your way from here Lady Deidre?"  
"I think I do, yes."  
"I can help her if she needs it." Fili volunteered.  
"Thank you.' She smiled at him and turned back to the elf; 'And thank you so much for today Logon, I had a wonderful time."  
"My pleasure my lady, just send for me in case you need anything."  
He bowed to her and left in a hurry after Tauriel.  
She and Fili looked sheepishly at each other;  
"Hi." They said at the same time and then grinned.

"Am I missing something here?" Kili looked kind of flustered, like he was let out of a joke.  
"Never mind." Fili told him and then motioned for her to follow them towards her room. She only took a few steps before an unevenness in the ground along with her spinning head caused her to stumble forwards, head first. Only inches from the ground someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back to her feet, she looked up into Fili's worried eyes;  
"Are you all right?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." She could tell he knew that it was a lie but when she straightened up and took a few limping steps, pain shooting up her leg like hot needles. As she took another step a firm arm gripped around her waist and she found herself in the arms of the blonde dwarf, he gave her a shy grin and straightened his back, arranging his grip.  
"Don't want you to injure yourself further." He just said and carried her like she weighed nothing more than a feather back to her room, Kili trailing behind them. Back in her room he sat her down in a soft armchair by the window and grabbed the wine bottle that were placed on her breakfast table; "Here, you look a bit pale." He poured her a goblet and handed it to her. After a few sips she felt the warmth spread throughout her body. The men sat down on the chairs next to the table with their own goblets and at first they drank in an awkward silence but then she cleared her throat;  
"Logon told me you two were the ones who found me?" She already knew this but it was a conversational starter as she directed the question towards Kili.  
"Yes it was, you were lucky we were there, Tauriel later told us that they hardly use that part of the forest and if it wasn't for us, you could have been laying there for days at least before you were found." Kili babbled, his tongue quickly loosened by the wine.  
"You have my thanks, both of you. And I am sorry if I caused any trouble." She looked down in her goblet, still trying to wrap her head around what had actually happened and to stop the world from spinning.  
"No need to thank us Deidre. Really." Fili said, and when he saw the look in her eyes he patted her softly on the knee.

They sat talking until the shadows grew longer, a rumble was heard from Kili's chair and he stood up, swaying a bit from the wine, she was still on her first goblet but the brothers had emptied a couple off bottles by now; "I think I need to find some food. Do you want anything?" he asked.  
Deidre nodded at Fili so he too stood up; "Wait here." He told her and then followed his brother through the door. As they left she got out of the chair and quickly got out of her horse-smelling clothes and pulled on a nightgown with three quarter sleeves and a hem that reached all the way to the floor, that Logon had brought her. It was made by a soft fabric she didn't recognize and was colored in a very light green, almost white. Then she sat down, wrapped a blanket around her lower body against the cold and closed her eyes, after what felt like only a second she heard his returning steps and when she opened them again she saw that he came back with his arms full of bread, cheese, fruit and another bottle of wine.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi everyone! I hope that you are all right and like my story, I can see that my numbers are dropping but I'll continue posting as long as someone is reading it, please review it so that I k ow what I'm doing right/wrong! :)**

 **As always; I don't own anything you recognize, just my oc. Also; English is my second language, I apologize in advance for any mistakes made!**

* * *

 _She grabbed a strawberry and took a bite, pleasurably she closed her eyes and took another one; "How did you know I love strawberries?"  
He hitched a shoulder; "Lucky guess?" and smiled at her. Somehow he was unable to stop smiling whenever he saw her and for the next fifteen minutes or so they just focused on the food, it was silent but not uncomfortable. For a human, and a tiny one at that, she had a healthy appetite by his standards. After they had eaten he helped her to the bed and piled up some pillows for her to rest against, then placed himself at the foot of the bed, leaning against the high bed frame. The blanket she had wrapped around her had slipped a bit when she sat down on the bed and he could see the cuts and bruises from her fall but they were fading and her legs had all the colors of the rainbow._

 _"Fili?" He realized that he had been staring and not paying attention to what she was saying so he blushed deeply and looked down at his hands; "I was staring, wasn't I?"  
She looked at him through lowered eyelashes; "Just a little bit." While giving him a shy smile, she leaned against the pillows and stretched her legs out in front of her, her toes almost touched his thigh and he had to force himself not to move and put her feet up in his lap. They were long but not very wide and even though he had seen her walk around barefoot all day they were still smooth, soft and strong. Her voice was low when she spoke again;  
"You never really told me the full story about how you and Kili ended up here with the elves. Only snippets."  
"You're right. Okay, but I must warn you, I am not much of a storyteller though."  
"I think you'll do just fine." Then she startled him by doing just what he had been thinking about and placed her feet in his lap, he stroke the sore ankle and slowly removed the bandage to have something occupy his hands while he spoke;  
"One day, two years ago, the wizard Gandalf came to talk to our mothers brother, Thorin, about a quest. He was looking for companions and the choice fell upon Thorin since he was the King under the Mountain. Or at least he would have been if it wasn't for Smaug."  
"Smaug?"  
"A dragon. We once lived in the Lonely Mountain and the city of Erebor, collecting treasures and working with the stone. One day the dragon Smaug came and attacked us, only some of us were able to flee and after that we lived in exile. That was when Gandalf found Thorin and they collected a bunch of us, fourteen in total, thirteen dwarfs and one hobbit, Bilbo, funny person, I liked him a lot."  
"What's a hobbit?" Her eyebrows were wrinkled and he was a bit startled by the question, how could she not know what a hobbit was?  
"A hobbit is a Halfling, they live in the Shire, wonderful little place where you never feel unwelcome, even if Bilbo did try his best when we showed up, they got very big, hairy feet and love food just as much as us dwarfs."  
"Oh, they sound interesting, do you think I will ever meet a hobbit?"  
"Maybe someday. Back to the story?" He smiled at her eager questions  
"Yeah, sorry." She blushed, he chuckled, took a sip of wine and stirred around a bit before continuing; "We gathered at Bilbo's house in the Shire, he wasn't too happy about us eating all his food but he coped with it even if he refused to come with us. The next day we went on our way but we hadn't made it far before he came after us, willing to come along." He paused, thinking back about the events. The rest of the night he told her about all of their adventures, the meeting with the trolls, the gigantic spiders, Rivendell, and the battle of the five armies.  
Deidre was the perfect listener, she gasped, oh:ed and aw:ed at exactly the right places. As the darkness fell and he told her about how injured he and his brother and uncle had become, he saw her eyes fill up with tears and when he continued by telling her how they had been declared dead, but Tauriel had discovered that they were still alive; her eyes flooded with tears and she tried to hide it by leaning her cheek against her arms that were resting on her pulled up knees.  
He kept telling her how Tauriel had transported them here and tended to their wounds, Thorin had left as soon as he was able to sit on a horse to go back to Erebor. Somehow he and Kili had stayed behind, or more, Kili was unwilling to leave the elf and Fili did not want to leave his brother behind, so therefor he had stayed too._

When he was finished he asked; "Are you all right?" when she just looked at him with her teary eyes.  
"I'm fine. I think. Wow, that was some story." She sounded out of breath even if he had done all the talking.  
"All of it was true."  
"Everything?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.  
"Well, most of it." He shrugged and drank the last wine in his goblet. After all, it was a story he had told her, so he might have exaggerated some of the events. She looked at him with still teary eyes and when their eyes met she ran a hand under them, sniveled and then gave him a shy grin;  
"Look at me, crying again.' She nudged him with her healthy foot; 'and this time it's your fault." Her tone was teasing and he gave her a crooked grin.  
"And I am not even sorry. It was, after all, you who asked." He yanked her playfully in the toes which caused her to giggle and retract her feet from his lap. Accidentally she somehow managed to tip over the glass that was standing on a chair he had pulled towards the bed.  
"Stupid mother of fucking Christ!" She spat and immediately flung herself forward to catch it. For a second he was a bit shocked over the words coming from her mouth, he didn't really knew what they meant but the meaning behind them was clear.  
"Don't worry, let me get it." He pushed her hand away and reached for a napkin on the table to wipe up the few droplets that had landed on the floor.  
"I am so clumsy sometimes." She sounded sad.  
"Oh, that could've happened to anyone." He picked up the glass shards and wrapped them up in the napkin.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! I want to apologize so much for the lack of updates recently, my new job is really wearing me out... but I promise to update more frequently from now on! :)**

 **Love D.**

* * *

After _he had cleaned it up, he poured them some more whine and they sat in silence for some time before a wrinkle emerged on her forehead._

 _"What are you thinking about?"  
She shook her head; "Nothing. It was just about what you told me regarding your injuries."  
"What about them?"  
"Well, a wound like that should have killed you, but here you are. How? You must have an ugly ass scar."  
"I was unconscious for several weeks before I woke up again. I fully don't understand how they were able to save us but they did. And yes I do have a scar. A huge one." At the last sentences she blushed deeply and buried her face in the goblet so he gave her a confused look;  
"What?"  
Into her goblet she mumbled something he didn't hear and looked up at him with a look he had never seen on a woman before, eyes shining, blushing cheeks and a little smile.  
"Can I see it?' She blushed even deeper and took a huge gulp before meeting his eyes again; 'It's just that my mom is a healer and even though I didn't go that way, I have studied enough medicine to be interested. And…"  
"And?"  
"If you show me yours, I'll show you mine." She finished her ranting and gave him an honest look.  
"You have a scar too?"  
She nodded and stood up, her injured foot levitated an inch above the ground and he gasped when she pulled down the neckline of the nightgown and revealed a scared shoulder, the scar tissue traveled from just behind her right ear down towards her back. He didn't realize it but he was now standing close to her and put a finger on it; "What happened?"  
"I was just a kid, a child, my mother was preparing dinner, then she left the kitchen, I wanted to help so I tried to move the pot and somehow it fell over me. She heard me screaming and managed to heal the worst of the damages but I am left with this." She looked at him over her shoulder. He backed up when she turned around;  
"That is terrible. I am so sorry." He whispered.  
She just shrugged; "It was a long time ago, it doesn't hurt anymore and I almost stopped thinking about it now, but it takes time."  
He sighed and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He hardly wanted to see the scaring himself and the only one besides the healers that had seen it so far was Kili. He knew exactly what it looked like; still angrily red, exalted and if the pressure on it got too hard, it burnt like fire in his chest.  
"Oh my god." She whispered under her breath and he looked up at her, her face was filled with concern, pain and something he couldn't put his finger on. She reached out and touched it gently, her cool fingers barley touching it.  
"Does it go around the back?"  
He turned around, her fingers trailing over his ribs and as he hoisted up the shirt to the exit wound he felt her soft touch there too.  
"I am so, so sorry Fili." He turned around again, took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles.  
"Don't be, I will learn to live with it, just like you have."_

She was totally stunned by how they had been able to save him. The blade had gone right through his body and he must have lost a multiple gallons of blood. Not to mention the tearing of the muscles and all the organs. She stroke her thumb against his scar once more and as he lowered the shirt he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. She looked at him through her eyelashes and realized that they were standing very close.  
"Hi." He whispered.  
"Hi." She smiled at him, they were almost at the same level now since he had his boots on and she was barefoot. A soft breeze danced through the windows and caused her to shiver slightly.  
"Are you cold?" His voice was still low and he ran his big warm hands over her arms.

"Not really, but please don't stop." She closed her eyes and felt his breath against her skin. He leaned closer and when she opened her eyes again their noses were almost touching. His lips were lightly parted and he licked his them with the tip of his tongue, unsure of how to proceed. His hand traveled onto her back and he rubbed it gently, her chest almost touching his by now, still, he was only wearing a shirt, the buttoning was still loose and if she glanced down she could see a chest full of hair, slightly darker than his facial hair.  
"Hi." She whispered.  
"Hi." He gave her half a grin and they both giggled, the vibrations traveled through one body to another. His hand reached her lower back and he pulled her closer to him, closing the non-existent gap between them, and tilted his head slightly sideways; "May I?"  
She nodded and he leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to hers. He tasted like wine and fruit but also something she couldn't put words on. Not before long he pulled away again, cheeks blushing but still standing just as near as before, she lost herself in his blue eyes that looked to her like two ponds.  
They spent the rest of the night talking, and just like the night before, he slipped out of her room just in daybreak and she went to bed, exhausted and filled with mixed emotions.


	11. Chapter 11

The next couple of weeks her fever came and went, so she spent most of her days in bed, either sleeping or reading. Some of her better days she sat with the cane in her lap, exploring the power that pulsated through it. Logon was never far away and when he had some time over he taught her Sindarin. Fili and Kili came to check up on her as often as they could when they weren't busy with other obligations. She grew extremely fond of the three of them. Logon was like the older brother she never had, always caring for her, always patient when she got angry for not understanding what he showed her, when she was homesick he held her and let her tears flow freely and cheered her on when she learned new things about the cane, he was surprised when she slowly revealed her powers. Fili, she couldn't really put her finger on what he was only that she was afraid of losing him, he was like her best friend, they had kissed a few times since the first one but only when they were alone which was rare, they were often accompanied by Kili, Logan or some of the other elves. And Kili, sweet Kili, felt almost like a brother too, always joking around, telling her stories about anything he could think of and making her laugh. She was never totally alone, if not the brothers, Logon or some of the elves were there, little birds, squirrels and other mammals that lived in the realm were never far away. Feeling a bit like Snow White she smiled down at her most recent visitors, a couple of minks sat in her lap as she was leaning back on the pillows, struggling her way through yet another book written in Sindarin. The female looked up at her with their equivalent of a smile; Deidre looked down and scratched her on the head. Her connection with the animals were no longer a secret, everybody knew and nobody cared, to her it felt like when you have to sit still for a whole day and then get to go out and stretch your legs on a run; relieving and freeing, like she was finally able to breathe.

After spending almost two weeks in bed she began to feel better, and once the fever was totally gone, her ankle had healed completely so she could walk around without the cane, even though she never went far from it. Every morning she drew another mark on the first page of the book she had brought with her on her hiking trip; there were almost twenty five of them now. Her heart sank when she thought about her parents. By now they probably assumed her kidnapped or dead. The worst part was that no one here would understand her. She had started keeping a small journal on little pages of parchment the elves had given her, she wrote it like a letter to her parents even though she knew they would never see it.

This morning she sat, freshly bathed and dressed in a pair of tight black jeans that she had brought with her and a short sleeved, white t-shirt, by the desk, writing about the dreams she had the night before when the door opened and the brothers came in;  
"Deidre? Are we disturbing you?"  
"Not at all, please come in." She turned around on the chair and stared at the grinning couple.  
"What?"  
They looked at each other and then Kili couldn't hold it in any longer; "We are going home! Thorin has sent for us and Tauriel has told us that we are well enough to travel!"  
Her heart sank but she tried not to show it so she gave them both a big grin; "That is amazing! I am so happy for you!" She stood up and hugged them both; 'Just be careful, you two are full enough as it is by scars. I will miss you terribly, both of you." She hugged them again and wiped away a stray tear that was threatening in the corner of her eye. Fili shoved his brother aside and turned her towards him;  
"What my little brother isn't telling you is that we want you to come with us. We have spoken to both Tauriel and Logon and as long as we promise to stop as soon as you get tired, you are free to come with us!" His eyes were shining with pure joy and her heart made a double take in her chest;  
"Really? But I thought you wanted to go by yourselves since you have been gone for so long?" She tried to repress the joyous feeling in her chest. Sure the elves had been really kind to her and helped her but she felt like the dwarfs was her friends.  
"I don't want you to feel left behind, plus see it as an adventure! Maybe we run into someone you know on the way? And if you're really lucky, Bilbo will still be there, and you get to meet a hobbit!" He gave her a crocked grin.  
 _Well, she hadn't been exactly honest with where she came from. And she was a sucker for adventures.  
_ "Maybe we will." She bit her lip and then smiled at both him and Kili; "I will be delighted to follow you home! Although, I must admit to being a bit nervous."  
"Why?" They said in unison and she smirked at them, flashing her dimples;  
"What if they don't like me. I mean, I don't have a beard!" She giggled, at first they looked stunned and then they busted into laughter.  
"Don't worry, no one will take you for a dwarf anyway, you are too tiny!" Kili mocked.  
"Hey, watch it shorty!" She mocked back, being barley a few inches taller than the sturdy dwarfs; the door opened and the two elves were standing there, staring at the three giggling creatures.

After a short nod in her direction Legolas swept Fili and Kili with him and left her alone with Tauriel. The elf sat down on one of the chairs and Deidre placed herself on the stuffed chair she had been sitting in before. Tauriel gave her a soft look; "Logon will miss you little one, but it might be good for you to go with them, maybe you will find your way back to your relatives."  
"Maybe. Tauriel?"  
"Yes?"  
She stood and gave the elf a warm hug, Tauriel hugged her back; "Thank you for everything Tauriel, really; without you and Logon I would have been so lost."  
"Oh hush, it was a pleasure Deidre. Remember that you are always welcome back to us in case you need a home." Deidre got a soft kiss on the cheek and then the other woman stood up and bid her a good night.

That night they held a big party for the three of them; all the elves had grown fond of both the dwarfs and of her. The biggest surprise was when Logon got up from his place next to her to instead kneel in front of her chair; "Deidre, you are like a little sister to me, which is how I have come to see you since you came here; all scared, battered and bruised. I know that you have a family of your own somewhere _but_ I want you to have a family _here_ , with me. Will you let us adopt you? To be a proper family? That way you will always have a home, wherever you go and if anyone ever doubts you just send them to me and I will deal with them. Will you do me the honor?"  
Everyone fell silent and her eyes filled with tears. Thoughts were running through her mind but then she thought back to everything that had happened to her and whom it was that had been there since the beginning;  
"Yes. Yes Logon, _Le uivelin_ _muindor nín*_." She whispered and fell around his neck, everyone cheered and after the ceremony, that bore very much resemblance to a wedding and where she was told that this was the first time in history where it had happened, they celebrated even more. People came with gifts and congratulations to both, welcoming her to their home. Even Thranduil showed up and with his short attendance gave them his blessing.

* I will always love you my brother


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter, sorry if it's a bit short... Please let me know what you think!**

 **As always; I don't own anything except the plot and my OC's :)**

 **D.**

* * *

The next day when she woke up the sun was already high up in the sky without a cloud in sight. She stretched like a cat and yawned. A tap on the door was followed by a servant, carrying a pile of clothes and a pair of soft boots; "With greetings from her lady Tauriel." The female elf placed them at the edge of the bed, bowed her head slightly and walked back out again.

Deidre got up, cleaned her face and what she could without stripping totally naked, in the basin that was built into the wall behind a small screen. The water was cold and fresh. Afterwards she looked at the pile the elf had brought; on the top there were a note; _Dear Deidre, I hope these clothes will fit, I believe them to be more comfortable for riding than your own clothes. I will see you soon._ It was signed; _Tauriel, head of the Royal Guard_. The clothes were all toned in different shades green, brown and black. The light green tunic had long sleeves and the body reached just below her butt. There were also a pair of tight, tanned leggings along with a long sleeveless black leather vest that reached down half her thigh with tiny pockets sewn into the liner. The boots were tanned and made out of a soft skin from an unknown animal, reached her just below the knee and made all her movements practically soundless. She tied a belt at her waist, hung her own hunting knife by it and then tied her cornrows together with a string, letting them hang down her back.

The door opened just as she finished packing everything in her saddlebags and backpack and Fili poked his head through the crack; "Good, you are descent, are you ready to leave?" She saw him eyeing her up and down and blushed.  
"Sure." She grabbed her bags and took one last look across the room to see if she had missed anything, when it seemed all clear she followed the dwarf outside and over to the stables where Kili, Tauriel, Logon and a few other elves were waiting.  
"Let me take that for you." Logon offered and took her bag to fasten it on one of the horses. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that it was Faran he was loading her things too.  
"But Logon, isn't he yours?"  
"He is _muinthel nín*_ but I could not think of a more suiting horse for you, besides, he seems to like you." Logon gave her half a grin when the silvery horse nudged her with his head, gave her a long look and whinnied low.  
"I know." She replied and caressed his soft muzzle.  
"What did he say?" Logon sounded curious.  
"Oh, nothing." She gave him a mischievous smile before he easily helped her up in the saddle. She leaned towards Tauriel and shook the guards hand; "Thank you once again. I owe you my life."  
"I hope we meet again little one. Ride well and Faran always knows the way back in case you get into trouble."  
"Thank you. And please give my thanks to Legolas too."  
The elf bowed her head; "I shall."  
She gave Logon a quick one-armed hug and thanked him once more, promising to take good care of the horse. He hugged her back, telling her that he would miss her terribly.  
Deidre used her legs to get the horse to move and rode up beside Fili, giving Kili and Tauriel some time to say good bye. All the other elves looked away as well, giving the odd couple as much space as they could. Not before long Kili rode up on her other side and the three of them waved to the elves, setting out towards the Lonely Mountain.

*My sister


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey kids! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Here is the next part :) Hope you like it!**

 **Love D.**

The first night they stopped when they found a small opening in the trees, she was sore and exhausted so as soon as the fire had been lit and she had eaten some stew the boys had made, she rolled out her sleeping bag and crawled in.

What she didn't notice were the looks Fili and Kili gave her sleeping bag, it was totally different from the blankets and furs they had themselves.  
"What do you think it is made of?" Kili whispered to his brother.  
"I don't know really. But it looks soft."  
"Yeah. And that knapsack and her clothes. Where do you think she's from?"  
"Not from around here, that's for sure." Despite the closeness she felt to both the brothers and to Logon she hadn't been totally honest with them exactly where she was from but at least now they knew that it was a world beyond this one.  
She heard their mumbling discussion and turned towards them; "It's made out of nosy dwarfs." She grinned and they jumped a bit when they discovered that she was still awake.  
"Really?" Kili sounded disgusted.  
"No you dimwit, of course not." She giggled and continued; "I'll tell you tomorrow, now can I please sleep? My everything hurts!" She moaned.  
"Sorry. Good night Deidre."  
"Good night boys." She turned away from them and the fire again, falling asleep at an instant.

The next day they rose early and spent the day in the saddle, they weren't in a hurry but they weren't dragging their legs behind them either. During the day they talked, a lot, she told them somewhat of where she was from but tried not to get into to many details regarding technology, thinking it would only confuse them.  
"I come from a place where the buildings are as tall as the trees and sometimes even taller than that. Some people, like me and my parents have more or less magical powers."  
"Like Gandalf?" Kili chimed in.  
"Who's Gandalf?" She knew she had heard the name before.  
"Only the greatest wizard around!" He looked almost insulted.  
"Well, I guess. Oh, he was the one taking you out on that quest, right?" She remembered what Fili had told her about how he and his brother had ended up with the elves.  
He nodded and gave her a faint smile; "Yes."  
"So do your parents have the same powers as you?" Kili kept on asking.  
"No, my mum's a healer and my dad is a combination between a telepath and telekinesis, meaning he can read minds and move things around without touching them."  
"And what are you?"  
"I don't really think that there is a name on what I am, I can do all sorts of things, we haven't found the limit of what I can do yet.' she looked around her, listening to the birds and felt the link to Faran; 'I can also communicate with the animals."  
"All animals? Even the horses? I thought you were just kidding when you answered the horse back at the elves."  
"Yeah, even the horses. Isn't that right Faran?" She sent a vibe to Faran and he turned his head and snorted. Both of the dwarfs made huge eyes.  
"The world is never silent to me. I can hear the birds sing about their young's and finding food and shelter, I can hear the mother rabbit tell her baby's to beware of the fox, I can hear them all." Just as she said this a bird flew singing over their heads and she just smiled, a bit lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice that the brothers had stopped before she realized that she was alone. She pulled the rains and turned around; "Why did you stop?"  
"We thought it was a nice place to camp for the night."  
They were in a small meadow surrounded by the forest and covered in soft grass.  
"Sure." She turned back and dismounted.


	14. Chapter 14

They rode on the next day as well but stopped earlier than usual. The mountain was now clearly visible over the treetops and hovered over them.  
"We thought we would stop here for the night and then get up early tomorrow, which makes it possible for us to be home before dinner. Sounds okay?" Fili asked her as she made her way down from the horse, rubbing her soar ass.  
"Man, will I ever get used to this? My ass hurts like hell." She grunted, causing Kili to chuckle even if her tone had been under her breath.  
"If you're lucky, you'll get used to it, if like me, you won't." He mimicked her motion and rubbed his behind with a tortured look.  
"Stop whining you two and come help me with the fire." Fili sighed at them, as they turned around with their packing's; he had already built a place for the fire which she started with a flick of her hand that was mostly just for show than filling any purpose. They sat down for a light lunch and Fili glanced at her over the fire and she smiled at him, causing him to blush and look down on his bowl of food.  
They had hardly spoken to each other or touched since it had been decided that she would come with them to their home. As long as they had been on the road, it had mostly been Kili and her that did the talking. What confused her was that every time she and Fili were alone, or as alone they could be with Kili around, he either stuttered and blushed or kept his tone very short, giving her the benefit of a doubt about if he really wanted her with them on this.

After their short lunch she had been riding a few lengths behind the brothers, arguing with herself about turning around and going back to Logon and the elves. But something inside her told her to keep following them and as they stopped she decided that she would go to see their uncle and to see the Lonely Mountain they had told her so much about, if she didn't like it there, she could always go back to Logon.

After they finished eating she grabbed a few things from her packing and wrapped them in a towel; "I don't know about you two but I reek of horse and just want to get out of these clothes. I saw a small pond earlier and I will go check it out."  
"Alright but don't wander of too far." Fili said as he grabbed the plates they had used for lunch.  
"I won't." She replied in a tone that matched his, a bit sick of his attitude. She threw the bundle over her shoulder and walked away, whistling softly between her teeth, swinging her cane back and forth not seeing the look Kili gave his older brother.

She found the opening in the trees and immediately relaxed. The sun was shining through the leaves, in the far end of the meadow there was a fairly large pond with a waterfall at the far end, a steady flow coming out through the stones. She pulled off her boots and sighed when her bare feet touched the soft grass and she couldn't stop herself from instantly stripping of all her clothes, dropping them behind her as she made her way towards the water. She enjoyed the feeling of being alone and out of her clothes for the first time in three days. When she dipped a toe it wasn't as cold as she thought so she quickly made her way into the water, diving under the surface and watching the light reflect through the water.

 _"_ _I'll go and see what takes her so long." He said to his brother that was dozing beside the fire, drowsy from the food and heat.  
"Sure." Kili just waved his hand and closed his eyes again. Fili stood up and brushed off, waking the same way Deidre had taken over an hour ago. He moved quietly under the trees and soon found the meadow she had mentioned. Deidre was nowhere to be seen and he walked around it just in the tree line when she broke through the water, coming up in the middle of the pond. Naked. He cursed himself for spying on her, it was so wrong but he couldn't help himself. He stared in awe as she made her way up from the pool on the farthest side of the meadow, naked as the day she was born. Her waist was well-defined over a pair of wide hips, her ass was just as firm as he had dreamed of, and he longed to take it in his hands while he pressed his lips against hers. From what he could tell at this distance, she was as far from any female dwarf he had ever seen, her body was well formed, with long muscles and she moved smoothly like a cat. There was not a hair in sight except from the hair on her head what he could see. He could have stared at her forever as she walked over to the bundle of fabric and starting to dry off with a towel, still with her back towards him. As she pulled on some tiny pieces of underwear he heard her voice as clear as if she had been standing beside him; "I know you are there, you might just as well come out." He walked out from the shadows with a guilty look on his face; he had never been so embarrassed in his entire life.  
"How did you know?"  
She gave him a long, stone cold look, that he hadn't gotten since his mother had found him and Kili sharing two pots of jam in the pantry when they were little.  
"I always know." Then she pointed up in the trees and he saw a small bird sitting almost exactly above where he had been hiding. Of course, the birds. He sighed to himself. _

_"_ _I should've known, sorry, I didn't mean to spy on you it's just that you were gone so long and…"  
"Fili?"  
"Yes?"  
"Shut up. Tell me what's really bugging you. You've been acting like you've got a rock on your boot since we left the elves." He almost caved under her hard look, she was standing there, barely an inch or two taller than him but when she stood with her back straight, her head high and the cornrows shifting slowly in the breeze she could have been as tall as the trees, and the pissed-off look on her face didn't help at all. He didn't know where to start but after she crossed her arms and tilted her head at him, eyes hard as rock he finally understood why Logon kept calling her Lady, she could have made even Smaug himself shiver with fear so he caved; "I'm sorry I've been acting so weird. It's just that I'm nervous about coming home and introduce you to uncle Thorin. I know how he reacted when he saw what Tauriel meant to Kili."  
"That's is?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Oh Fili, don't worry about me, I think I can handle a few stubborn dwarfs. "She lightened up and caressed his cheek, tugging slightly in one of his braids, the breeze stopped and as if it was magic he suddenly felt the warmth of the sun again. Her mood was clearly reflected by the weather._ _He couldn't help but to smile back at her; "I apologize again for my weird mood then." He said and she just laughed at him; "It's alright." Then she placed herself so close he could feel her breasts heave as she breathed. She looked him deep in the eyes; "Did you like it then?" She whispered.  
"Like what?" He was confused.  
"What you saw earlier?" She flashed her dimple that matched his.  
"I… um… yes." He stuttered.  
"Do you want to kiss me again Fili?" She somehow managed to look _up _at him through lowered eyelashes, leaning even closer whilst biting her lower lip.  
"Indeed." His voice was rasping and he knew his face was tomato-red but he didn't care. She lowered her face towards his but just before their lips met he saw a mischievous grin in her eyes, felt her palms against his chest and then he was flying backwards into the water with her laughter ringing in his ears as he fell into the water with a splash._

 _When he broke through the surface again, gasping for air he saw her sitting on the ground laughing like a maniac, cradling her stomach. He waded out from the water and pulled of his wet shirt and boots; "You will pay for this." He tried to sound serious but failed miserably, her mood was very contagious. He walked over to her and flung her over his shoulder; jumping back into the water, taking her with him._

The world exploded in bubbles around her and through the water she saw him smiling at her. A game of catch started when she stuck her tong out and then quickly swam away from him. She could feel him grab for her foot but kicked herself lose and swam away in the clear liquid. Soon enough they broke through the surface, panting heavily for air only to stare into Kili's big eyes. They were filled with shock, confuse, surprise and laughter all at the same time; "What in the name of darkness are you two doing? I heard a shriek and a splash and when I come here you two are acting like fishes. Naked!" He flung his arms out in an upset expression. She and Fili looked at each other but had to look away instantly for the risk of bursting into laughter.

"Well, technically we aren't completely naked." She said before breaking down in giggles again, after all, she had been wearing her underwear and a bra. Her blood felt like it was filled with champagne, all bubbly and happy. But for the sake of decency she covered her chest with one arm and seeing as she was close to the edge she pulled Fili's shirt towards her and over her head. She heard Fili chuckle behind her and a sigh of resignation from Kili.  
"Why don't you join us? The water feels wonderful!" Fili offered.  
"But it is so WET! You know I don't like to get wet!" Kili threw his arms out again with a frustrated look.  
"Yeah, we noticed. You are getting an odor brother." Fili mocked him and wrinkled his nose.  
"You're the one to talk; you don't smell like peaches either!" Kili nagged, resigned and threw his coat on the ground together with his boots, curling up into a ball as he jumped into the water.

They spent some time playing around before she dragged herself out of the pond;  
"I'll go start the dinner, you boys come when you are ready." She put her hair up with the, now dry, towel around it and pulled on the short summer dress she had taken out from her backpack.


	15. Chapter 15

Later that evening they sat around the small fire where the flames were dancing happily, tired and lazy after the long afternoon at the pond and with filled bellies from the stew she had made out of things the elves had sent with them. Kili had already wrapped himself in his blanked, snoring slightly with a relaxed look on his face.

 _Deidre were leaning against his legs and he had his back towards a tree. No one said a word, both lost in their own thoughts, just listening to the silence around them. He felt her shiver slightly;  
"Nervous?" He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned her head towards him.  
"Yeah a little, how could you tell?" Their voices were only whispers so they wouldn't wake the sleeping Kili.  
"You were so silent and you shivered a bit. I was guessing on that or cold, but I could feel the heat that's coming from you so I guessed nervous." He smiled at her and she crawled closer, snuggling in under his arm._

He smelt like leather and warm stones and very manly. His hair and beard was lose and not in its usual braids, tickling her in the face. She inhaled again and crept as close as she could get, his strong arm was folded around her shoulders and he radiated almost as much heat as she did. She felt his chin rest against the top of her head and felt him sigh. Soon enough her eyes closed and she fell asleep, still in the arms of the sturdy dwarf.

 _He sat there, watching the fire burn down with her scent in his nose, she smelled like a garden full of flowers, it made him want to bury his nose in her hair and take deep breaths. She twitched in her sleep and her pale hand grabbed the front of his tunic with a hard grip. He caressed her on the head and felt her calm down again. The night was a bit chilly so he pulled the blankets over them and closed his eyes to let them rest for a second, dreaming of roses and butterflies._

The next morning she woke up curled under Fili's blankets. She opened her eyes slowly, not sure if she was still in her dreams. The whole night she had dreamt about the pond they had been bathing in the day before, only this time there was no Kili.

When she thought back to the dreams she blushed deeply and looked around to make sure no one had seen it. She was still dressed in the short dress from the day before and the morning was a bit chilly so she wrapped herself in the blankets, when she noticed the fire had burnt out she gathered some more wood, lit it with just a thought and put on a pot of water for tea. The boys were nowhere to be seen so she hauled down the package of food from the tree they had hung it in and took out some bread, cheese and ham for breakfast. As the ham was sizzling happily on a hot pan and the scent was spreading around the meadow they came back, dripping wet without any braids in their hair and the skin so freshly scrubbed they almost glowed.  
"Good morning, been for another bath?"  
"Good morning." Fili came and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, his lips barely touched hers but she felt the electricity go from him to her; "Yeah, we thought that we might be at our best, been away for so long, it seems appropriate." He took a plate from her and sat down next to the fire. Neither of the two dwarfs had put their shirts on yet and she could see the glowing red scars they shared. Kili pulled his shirt on before sitting down across from his brother; "This smells delicious!"  
"It's just ham and cheese, nothing special." She had made the same amount as she normally did for twice as many people but the brothers ate almost all of it, she could just get a few bites down, feeling sick from nervousness over what she knew would come later during the day. After they were done she left the dishes for them and decided to do what they had already done; take another bath and put on some fresh clothes. She excused herself and went back to the calm pond.

After the bath she re-braided a few braids that had come loose with quick fingers and made sure she was completely dry before pulling on her black jeans, a white t-shirt and the same boots as before. She took her time wandering back towards the horses and stuffed her dirty laundry into one of the saddlebags. They made sure that the fire was put out and then mounted the horses once more, the animals must have picked up the anticipation that radiated from Fili and Kili because they were eager to get away and she had to correct Faran on the link they shared after which he immediately calmed down. They all kept a steady pace and barely stopped for the rest of the day.


	16. Chapter 16

Soon enough they left the trees behind them and the mountain came into full view, shadowing everything around them. She gazed upon it and shrugged; it was huge and made her feel smaller than ever before.  
"It normally has that impact the first few times you see it." Fili held his horse short and kept her pace. He reached out his hand and gave her shoulder a squeeze to calm her down; "It will be fine, you are not the first of man-kind that my people will meet, my uncle may look harsh but he can be kind too. And don't worry; I'm sure we will find someone who knows a way back to your family."

As the three of them road through town, people; both human and dwarf, stared at them but they just kept on towards the big gates in the mountainside. Kili was already inside by the look of it, they saw him far ahead, hardly visible.

 _"Fili!" The very distinct voice of Bofur reached his ears, he let go of Deidre's hand and turned to find his friend in the crowd.  
"Bofur!" He spotted the other man, as always wearing his typical hat; Fili jumped down from the large horse and caught Bofur in a big hug.  
"Man, I thought we would never see ye again but then the messenger came with letters to Thorin yesterday that ye were on yer way! It is a delight to see ye, how are ye holdin' up?"  
"Better and better." He saw a movement in the corner of his eye and saw that Deidre had dismounted and followed him like a shadow, her eyes huge and scared. He motioned her forward and saw her lips move silently, so he figured that she told Faran to stay where he was. On soft feet and with swaying hips she approached them. She gave Bofur a shy smile and looked at Fili for support.  
"Bofur, this is Deidre, a friend we met in Mirkwood. Deidre, this is Bofur, a dear friend, one of those whom were with us at our quest."  
"At your service madam." Bofur bowed and gave her a big grin. She blushed slightly; "Nice to meet you Bofur. Fili has told me so much about you."  
His friend gave her an even bigger grin, but when she shook her braids out of her eyes he saw Bofur startle a bit at the color of them, just as he and Kili had reacted.  
"Will you come with us to Thorin?" Fili asked his friend.  
"Of course! Here, let me take your horse." He offered to Deidre, she handed him the reins and walked between the two on the path to the big gates. He saw heads turn and stare at the trio as they noticed the girl and protectively he moved a bit closer to her but still without touching. She gave him another shy smile, and when she caught the eyes of another dwarf that stared at her she blushed deeply and looked down on the ground. He couldn't take it anymore and gave her hand a soft squeeze; "Don't mind them; they are just as curious as the elves were. C'mon Deidre, smile for me." He loved her smile; it made her eyes shine like the sun. He could see through her braids that a small smile played in the corner of her mouth and realized that the shyness wasn't all real, some of it was an act, then she turned her head towards him, smiled and moved so close, their shoulders were touching and if it was on purpose or not he didn't know but her hand stroke against his every time her arm moved back and forth, sending a small tingling sensation up his arm._

 _Bofur noticed her unease and started talking;  
"So, where did you two meet?"  
"Actually, I sort of crashed into Fili and Kili; I tripped and lost my footing."  
Bofur gave him a cheeky grin; "She swept you of your feet then, aye?" Fili gave her a smile;  
"I guess she did."  
"Well, that isn't a surprise, she is a fine lass to look at, I give ye that." At this she turned her head so quickly the braids were flying; "but not as harmless as I look my friend." And then she showed her hand, in the palm rested a small knife, a sort he had never spotted before.  
"Where did ye keep that?" Bofur's eyes were huge.  
"You don't want to know my friend." She gave him a big smile and patted the man's arm; "But thanks for the compliment." Then she lengthened her steps and walked a few paces in front of them, the nervousness and shyness all gone.  
"A fine girl Fili, but bity." Bofur sounded startled but sincere.  
"Yeah, her nerves are a bit fried at the moment but, don't worry, she's much warmer once you get to know her." He smiled at his friend and they hurried to catch up with Deidre._


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone! I want to start by apologizing about the LATE update! I have been superbusy at work, taking care of an "inspirational day" that we had for our department instead of a Christmasparty. I hope you havent abandoned me totally!?**

 **Please let me know what you think so far and I'll promise to update more freaquently from now on!**

 **Love D.**

* * *

As they walked through the gates she gaped in awe, the ceiling was so far up she could hardly see it. Too amazed to be nervous anymore. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness inside and she followed Fili by his heels as he started to climb up a huge staircase. Everywhere she looked she saw dwarfs occupied with different chores, some of them stared at her as she walked pass them but she tried to ignore it, pressing down the nervous feeling in her stomach. Soon enough they stopped and at the other side of the platform she saw an empty throne, but it was only empty because there was a huge gathering in front of it, in the middle she saw Kili getting embraced by a dark haired dwarf. Fili took longer steps and suddenly they were spotted;  
"Fili!" A dwarf with brown and silver hair, a short beard and a fur coat embraced him, he laughed and flung his arms around the other man;  
"Uncle Thorin, it is so good to see you again!"  
There was a lot of man-hugs, back-clapping and greetings before the sound died out. She just stood there, looking at her feet and feeling completely out of place when she saw the hem of a skirt coming into view and felt a hand under her chin that lifted her face upwards; "And who might this cutie be?" The woman, or so Deidre took the dwarf for, despite the neatly trimmed beard that hung in one long, light brown braid from her chin to the middle of her stomach, it was clearly a female standing in front of her.  
"I am Deidre, my lady." She curtsied just as her great-grandmother had taught her when she was a young girl.  
"And I am Dís, you are the one that have traveled with my boys here, I take it?" The woman kept her grip on her chin, looking deep into her eyes.  
"Yes mam." Deidre did her best to nod and finally she was released. Fili came over to them, followed by the man he had called his uncle and she knew she was meeting a king, his presence showed that he was clearly the one in charge.  
"Mother, this is Deidre, she has lost her family and came with us to maybe find someone who can help her find her way back home again. Deidre, this is my mother Dís and my uncle; Thorin, King under the Mountain."  
Deidre turned from the woman to the man and curtsied once more, bowing her head.  
"It is an honor to meet you, Fili and Kili has told me so much about you. Both of you." Her voice shivered slightly from the nervousness she felt being the center of attention. Thorin just bowed his head slightly in her direction but then turned back towards the brothers, totally ignoring her.  
Dís took her by the elbow, leading her past the others that were surrounding Fili and Kili.  
"Come, I will show you to a room."  
"But…" She threw a look over her shoulder towards Fili.  
"Don't worry dear, he will still be here. Now, where are your things?" The sturdy woman dragged her along before she had time to answer all her questions.  
"Um, I think his name was Bofur, he took my horse and my things."  
"Ah, Bofur, yes." Dís nodded at the name and stopped a dwarf dressed like a servant;  
"You there. Go and find Bofur and have him bring the girl's things up to my chambers."  
The other dwarf nodded; "Yes my lady."

She followed Dís into a big apartment, despite being without windows it was still a bright room, being lit up by light fabrics and lots of candles that made the shadows dance.  
"Now. You can take the rooms that are next to mine, if you take left outside the door you will find them. Fili will be just down the hallway but first; let's find something more appropriate for you to wear. No wonder my eldest son couldn't take his eyes of you, you are practically naked!"  
"Oh, the elves gave me some clothes, they are amongst my things. I just changed because they were dirty."  
"Good, that's good. I will make sure that they get cleaned for you. Come and sit.' Dís motioned for her to take a seat in one of the stuffed armchairs next to the fireplace; 'Tell me how you met my sons, it has been so long since I last saw them."

They sat and talked, Deidre didn't know for how long since there were no windows to allow her to keep track of the sun. They were interrupted once by the servant Dís had stopped on their way up that told them that her things had been placed in the guest chambers. After that they ate a quick dinner before the mother of Fili and Kili showed her to her rooms. They were not as big and luxurious as the once they had just left but still they were almost as big as the apartment where she lived with her parents. The thought of them made her eyes tear up. She had told Dís the same story as to everyone else; how she had gotten away from her company on her way to a sick relative and gotten lost.  
When she was left alone she realized how tired she was so she just pulled of her boots and dropped her clothes on the floor before diving head first into the big bed, falling asleep at an instant.


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry about the delay (again!)... My Karate club had our graduation yesterday so I've been busy practicing all weekend and most of last week. But I passed (YAY!) and now I've got 4th kuy (last belt before brown). Yay me!**

 **Well, enjpy the story :)**

 **Love D.**

 _His mother had told him where Deidre had her rooms, just two doors down from his own chambers. On his way towards his room later that evening he passed them. He put his ear towards the door but not a sound came through it so he walked into his own chambers, they looked just like he thought they would, his mother had moved his things here from his chambers at the Blue Mountain. Just as he was about to fall asleep a terrifying shriek snapped him wide awake. He jumped out of bed, only dressed in his nightshirt and ran to the door. He had recognized the voice immediately. In the hallway he met Kili that stared at Deidre's door with terrified eyes. This wasn't her first nightmare. Another shriek broke the silence;  
"Go back to bed Kili, I'll take care of it." He patted his brother on the shoulder and slowly opened her door just as a third shriek was heard from the bedroom. He ran inside and found her in the opposite corner, cradled with her hands over her head and shaking violently. She sobbed hard and he sunk down beside her; "Deidre. Deidre, it was just a dream." She lifted her head and her eyes were black and filled with tears, he realized that she was not completely awake yet and softly caressed her arm; "Deidre, you need to wake up honey."  
She blinked slowly and a few more tears fell but the next time she opened her eyes they were back to their normal yellow color. Without a word she threw herself in his arms and sobbed against his chest. He caressed her hair and pulled her up in his lap, leaning against the wall of stone.  
As she calmed down, the sobs coming further and further apart he tilted her head upwards and stroke away the tears with his thumb; "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked in a low voice. She nodded and cleared her throat, taking a deep, shaky breath.  
"My parents, they were talking to the police and looking for me, they we so sad and they… they couldn't hear me! I screamed for them, I tried to stand in front of them but they couldn't see me either." Her voice broke and he didn't know what to say so he just held her tight, stroke her hair and tried to calm her as much as possible. Eventually she stopped shivering and seemed to have calmed down. He stood up, still with his arms around her and carried her back to the bed.  
"Will you stay with me?" She sounded so scared and lonely that his heart almost broke. He looked down on her, she was cradling the blankets to her chest and he saw her lower lip tremble.  
"Of course." He went around the bed and climbed in, soon she was nestled up against his chest just as their last night in the forest.  
"I'm sorry I woke you up. Did anyone else hear me?"  
"Just Kili, but I sent him back to bed." Their voices were low even if there was no one else around.  
"You know what I am, don't you?" She looked up at him with concern written all over her face.  
"Yes, I think I do. But that is not a story for tonight. You can tell me tomorrow. Try and get some sleep, my uncle wants to meet us first thing after breakfast." He bent down and kissed her forehead. She sighed and soon enough they both drifted off into sleep._

They were startled when a light knock on the door was followed by Kili's voice;  
"Deidre, are you here? Have you seen Fili?"  
"He's in here Kili, come in." She yelled back and soon he peaked his head through the bedroom door just as Fili climbed down from the bed. Kili didn't say anything about their half-dressed state; he saw the dark circles under her eyes and very well remembered the shrieking from last night. As she pulled on her pants he looked her in the eyes; "How are you feeling?"  
"It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry if I woke you up." She shrugged.  
"Don't worry about it.' Then he turned to his brother; 'Uncle Thorin wants to see you in the throne room."  
"I know. Tell him we're on our way, I just have to put some clothes on first."  
Kili gave her an apologetic look; "actually, he just wanted you.' He said to his brother and continued; 'Mother will come for Deidre later." Fili gave him a hard look. Deidre saw this, came up to his older brother and put a hand on his arm, just like she had in Mirkwood;  
"Don't worry about me Fili. I will go back to bed and then see if I can unpack some of my things, I need to go through them anyway." Then she did something Kili didn't expect, she leaned in and kissed Fili on the cheek. He could see the blush spreading across his brothers' face and casually looked away, pretending not to see it but from the corner of his eye he could see Fili kiss her knuckles and giving her a longing look;  
"I promise I won't be long. Do you remember the way to the throne room?' She nodded and he continued; 'Just come for me there if you need me, all right?"  
"Yes." She nodded once more then shooed them out of her bedroom and closed the door behind them.

As the two dwarfs left, she quickly undressed again and crawled back under the blankets. But even if she was really tired she wasn't able to fall asleep again so after some tossing and turning she got back up and went out to the main area of "her" rooms. It was furnished with a long table with matching chairs, a low divan was placed by the empty fireplace and at the wall opposite to the entrance she saw another door she hadn't seen the night before. It was unlocked and when she opened it she couldn't believe her eyes; it was some sort of bathroom with a natural hollow in the floor that formed a shallow pool with water coming from an underground source. There was also a sink with a polished black stone almost like a mirror over it. She went back out, sat down on the floor with her legs crossed, opened her packing and started pulling out the things she had stuffed in it. She threw the dirty clothes in one pile and the clean ones she folded back up and placed in a neat pile on her other side, they would go into the dresser she had seen in the bedroom. The other things she sorted through was things she knew she couldn't show the dwarfs, like her first aid kit, the box of painkillers, the box of different sorts of candy and food her mother had packed for her the night before she left and her phone. There was no reception, which she had been really surprised if there were and to save battery she turned it back off again. In her book, The adventures of Sherlock Holmes, there was a picture of her mother and father, taken at her graduation, both of them were dressed up and smiling at the photographer. She pushed it back into the book and wiped away a couple of tears.

When everything was sorted she took a long bath and had just wrapped herself in a towel when there was a knock on the door.  
"Come in." She yelled and heard the door open.  
"Deidre?" It was Dís.  
"I'm in here, I will be right out.' She pulled one of the blankets from the bed and wrapped that one around her instead of the towel to be a bit more covered before stepping out, seeing Dís eying the pile of dirty clothes on the floor. She had added the once she had slept in as well; 'I'm sorry about those, I will put them away, it's just that they are dirty and I didn't know what to do with them."  
"Don't worry darling. I will have someone take care of them for you." Dís just put a hand up to stop the flood of words coming from her before she went back to the door and gave a few short orders. Soon a servant came and took the clothes away with a short bow on his head.  
"Why don't you go and put some clothes on child and then my brother wants us to join the men for tea. It is something his, hrm, companion, have forced upon us. Now, let's get you dressed." She marched into the bedroom, wrinkled her nose at the unmade bed and pulled out the top drawer. Her eyes widened when she saw the strange clothes but soon they settled with a pair of tight green leggings that were the only once besides her shorts that were clean, and a long-sleeved plain gray shirt. She put her hair up in a bun and laced up her elvish boots, before following the dwarf out and down several flights of stairs into a long hallway furnished with long tables and big fireplaces placed evenly through the room. Deidre was placed not far from Fili and Kili and Dís went to sit beside her brother. Deidre felt very lonely and could feel the dwarfs around her stare at her strange appearance so she just kept her head down and ate in silence.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hold on tight 'cause this is going to be a long one!**

 **Please see A/N at the bottom!**

* * *

"Don't worry about them, they will soon get used to you." A kind voice said beside her. She turned her head and looked down at a very tiny person with slightly pointy ears, curly hair and no beard. A glance down confirmed what she had expected; this was Bilbo, the hobbit Fili had told her about.  
"Are you sure?" She was still feeling a bit off from the lack of sleep during the night.  
"One hundred percent. How rude of me; I am Bilbo Baggins." They shook hands and she gave him a shy smile;  
"Nice to meet you Mr. Baggins, I'm Deidre. Fili has told me so much about you."  
"He has? And it is a pleasure to meet you too Lady Deidre. I read the letter the elves sent Thorin that you were on your way and I must say that you tickled my senses and made me curious."  
"Is that so? How come?"  
"Well, I just love a good mystery and the elves wrote that you were trying to find your family, how did you come to lose them?"  
"That is a very long story Mr. Baggins, and please just call me Deidre, I am not a lady, nor a princess. I am just me and no one else."  
The hobbit bowed his head at this statement and grabbed a teapot; "Would you like some more tea La... Deidre?"  
"Yes please.' She gave him a warm smile which he replied; 'So, how come you are here, Fili told me you live in the Shire?"  
He poured her some more tea and pushed the bowl of honey closer to her;  
"well, that is a long story that will do better with our feet up next to a fireplace not in the middle of this rumbling heard of dwarfs.' He gave her a crooked grin and looked around at the lot sitting around them and then continued; 'but I realized that I missed them when I was alone in my hobbit-hole so I decided to come back." Here he looked over towards the head of the table, she saw his eyes lock with Thorin's and the dwarf raised his goblet towards the hobbit with a grin.  
"Excuse me." Bilbo said and stood up again, walking over to Thorin. She followed him with her eyes and saw that he sat down next to the dwarf who put a hand on his shoulder. The look they shared was more than obvious to her, she had seen it more than once at home and she smiled to herself, now _that_ was a story to be told. The rest of the meal she was mostly left alone, she caught Fili's eye a few times and smiled at him, he looked so happy being around his family and friends again.

"So, how're ye holdin up? Yer not carrying that little knife of yers around are ye?" Bofur slid down next to her and grabbed a scone from a basket, filling it with jam and butter.  
"Hi Bofur.' Finally a face she recognized; 'No, I left it in my room, tea didn't sound that intimidating to me even if this is the strangest tea-serving I have ever been to." She felt like Alice when she was at the Mad Hatters tea party.  
"Aye, good. How are ye enjoying things so far?"  
"My room is nice and everyone has been very polite towards me, thank you."  
"I see no reason as to why they shouldn't be." He had finished both one and two scones during this brief conversation and now he pulled out a small carving knife and a piece of wood and started to carve on it, mesmerized she saw how a small pony came to life from the lump of wood. The silence between them was comfortable and she nibbled on another scone when suddenly Thorin stood up and banged in the table to get everyone's attention.  
"Listen up! In celebration of the return of my sister's sons we are having a feast tonight!" He said in a loud voice that echoed among the walls, soon followed by the cheering coming from the crowd. He sat down again next to Bilbo and all the conversations picked up again.

She saw Dís get up from her chair and the woman came over to her and Bofur; "Come Deidre, let's leave the men to themselves and go get ready for tonight." The tone was non-arguable so Deidre excused herself from Bofur's presence and followed Dís up back towards the chambers. She was a bit confused; the mother she had painted in her head when Fili and Kili spoke about her was much more loving and caring than this, sometimes harsh, woman. As they got back upstairs Dís told her to wait in her room and then she went away so Deidre could do nothing else but to open the door to her chambers and step inside.

In her room she started to do a yoga routine she had learned up a few years ago to calm her nerves and just when she were lowering herself down from a headstand the door opened and Dís came in carrying a bunch of different colored fabrics.  
"Don't let me stop you dear, I have some other things to get so you just keep on whatever you were doing." She said in a much cheerier tone than before so Deidre just hitched a shoulder and moved out into the warriors pose, continuing her routine until she felt completely relaxed and sweat was running down her body. She had done the routine dressed in just her shirt and underwear so she hung the shirt over the back of one of the chairs and went into the bathroom and took a quick bath, just freshening up. She shook her head and felt the braids dangle. In a sudden whim she decided to take them all out so she pushed herself out from the water, dried of, sat down by the table and began to dissolve the braids one at a time. When she had worked through half of them Dís came back with even more fabrics in her arms and a small chest, almost like a jewelry box balancing on the top. The older woman eyed her over; "My dear, you are skinny. And what are you doing to your hair?"  
The skinny-comment was something that startled her, she had never been told she looked skinny but she guessed compared to the dwarfs she was.  
"I got tired of the braids, I've had them for a long time now and it was time for a change." She hitched a shoulder and the next thing that happened startled her even more;  
"Here let me." Dís placed herself behind Deidre and with soft hands started to loosen up the rest of the braids; "Thank you." Deidre didn't know what else to say.  
"My pleasure, now dear, why don't you tell me more about your journey with my boys? I have never seen my eldest look at anyone the way he looks at you."  
Deidre blushed, her feelings for Fili were strong but she didn't know exactly how he felt, her distrust in love came from a row of bad relationships and that had made her think that maybe he just like her because she was something new and interesting, just like everyone else she met.  
"Well, as I told you before, we were given the all clear from Tauriel to leave. Or at least Fili and Kili did, they asked me to come with them and four days later, here we are. I apologize, I am not very good at telling stories I'm afraid." She sunk into silence and thought back to the events that had led her here. She missed her parents like crazy and knew they must be worried sick, she had been gone over a month by now and had probably vanished from her home world without any traces. Without realizing it tears flooded her eyes and she sobbed. A warm hand was placed on her shoulder and soon she was caught in the embrace of Dís' arms. She sobbed against the woman's chest and somewhere far away she heard her mumble in a language she didn't understand, feeling her hands rubbing up and down her back.  
"You are very lost, aren't you?"  
"Yes." She sobbed even harder.  
"There, there, shush now, everything will be all right again. We will find some way for you to get home. Maybe someone in Dale knows your parents."  
Deidre knew that was a shot in the dark but the dwarf meant well so she went along with it, knowing that the truth would come out eventually, just not today.  
"Maybe." She agreed in a lifeless voice. Dís lifted her chin up and looked her in the eyes; "Now, go freshen up and then we'll see if we can find something for you to wear to the feast tonight. With those colors of yours I think I have the perfect thing." Deidre was shooed into the bathroom where she splashed her face with cold water and quickly washed her hair. Without the corn-rows in, it reached to the small of her back. She wrapped a towel around it and walked back out again. Dís had placed a heap of dresses in different cuts and colors on the table.  
"Wow, these are wonderful!" She stroke her hand over one of the dresses, looked up and saw that Dís eyes were a bit watery, but the dwarf pretended that everything was well and so did Deidre.  
"I took some that I thought would fit you. Let's try some on."  
She went into the bedroom and pulled on fresh underwear and then came back out, cradling the towel to her chest.  
They settled on a bright yellow dress with a heap of underskirts in different shades of black and grey. She hitched the skirts up on one side so it would be easier for her to walk without tripping and pulled on the same soft boots the elves had given her, they were more appropriate than her own robust boots for this occasion.  
"I want you to have these." Dís handed her a small box, she opened it and gasped at the content. It was a set of drop shaped earrings and a matching necklace made out of smooth amber and hammered gold.  
"I cannot accept these, they are too much." She started pushing the box back but Dís placed a hand on hers and stopped her.  
"Take them; I have no daughter and no one else to give them to. Seeing how my son looks at you, I believe that you are worthy of them. Wear them tonight and if tomorrow comes and you don't want them, just give them back to me and I will not ask any questions. Deal?"  
"Okay, sure. Will you help me with my hair?"  
"Of course my dear."  
She sat down on a low footstool and Dís attached the necklace around her neck and then started brushing her hair. She relaxed into it and closed her eyes, feeling the last pieces of stress float away from her.

"Oh my Lord!" She jumped a bit at Dís' sudden outburst and opened her eyes. The other woman was standing behind her, staring with a shocked expression at the levitating dining table. It hovered a couple of feet above the floor and the candlesticks were floating above the table as well, as if it was drawn upwards by an invisible force.  
"I am so sorry!" Deidre apologized and dropped the table down again. It landed with a soft 'thump', she got to her feet and faced Dís, the woman held her hands pressed to her chest and stared at her.  
"What are you?!"  
"I don't have a name for it but I guess you could say that I'm a sorceress. I promise that I don't mean any harm." She held her hands up in front of her in a surrendering gesture when a thought hit her and she went over to the dresser in the bedroom, picked up a tiny bag filled with dried lavender and roses that she kept for the scent, took a pinch of it in her palm and walked back to Fili's mother; "Look."

She focused on the small remains of flowers in her hand and wrinkled her brow. Dís gasped when a small bush started to grow. The flowers looked like tiny roses but smelled like lavender, their coloring were their most astonishing feature; in the middle they were a deep purple that faded out towards the edges into a pale, almost see-through white. She grabbed the root with both hands and handed it over to the dwarf; "It's for you, I know that flowers normally don't grow here but if you just make sure that they have a little bit of dirt around the roots and give it water now and again it will stay like this forever."  
There were tears in the woman's eyes; "It is beautiful, thank you." She whispered and embraced Deidre in a warm hug. Then she left the room to go put the flowers in her own, as soon as she came back she wanted to know more about her powers and what she could do. Dís got a mischievous look on her face and as soon as they were done with their hair-do's she took the younger girls hands and looked her in the eyes;  
"I think you should really show the men what you can do. It is good for them to find out now, and above all for that stubborn brother of mine."  
"Are you sure? What if he wants me to leave?"  
"Then I am sure he will meet some resistance. Now, let's get you dressed, the men are waiting."  
Dís helped her on with the dress, she put on the rest of the jewelry and then they walked down towards the throne room were the feast would be held.

* * *

 **A/N**

Okay here's the deal; I got a review (or acctually a couple but from the same person so hence I count them as one) on the last chapter that just made me feel like I need to clarify a few things:

One: Yes I know that you need more supplies than that to survive long in the woods. But there is something called living of what the earth can give you. And also; I didn't feel the need to specify every single apple and granolabar that she packed, this is a _fanfiction_ , not a survivalguide or a list of groceries.  
Have you ever read a fantasybook? They don't alway tell you the amount of food and water people take with them until they sit down to eat and I thought it wasn't really a neccesary thing for the story.

Two: It might feel a bit rushed but: it is totally un-betaed (I don't have a beta), I wrote it during the summer when we had alot of down time at work, therefore it might be a bit jumpy at times or things may be moving a bit faster. Also, I have stated this before: English is **NOT** my first language. The reason I write is **MAINLY** because of the practice and because I just have alot of words in my head. If I were to write in my own language (Swedish) the bigger part of you lot wouldn't understand a shit thing.

Three: Why did she keep it a secret about where she was from? Well, imagine yourself, you come from this world with cars, concrete, plastic and so on. You end up in a strange new world where zippers don't excist, no plastic, people travel by horses and not cars. How would you feel about telling them? And how do you think they would react? And it just doesn't have to be another world, it could just be Earth, what if you ended up in the Dark Ages? Ponder on that idea for a moment.

I just hope this gives the story a different light. And I'm sorry but if you don't like the way I write, stop reading it, I wasn't planning on posting it to begin with anyway but if felt like a shame if I didn't and maybe SOMEONE would acctually like it if they got the chance to read it.

Well. That was it. I have more chapters written (I've finished it a couple of months ago), and I might post them later.

Have a nice tuesday!

/Love D.


	20. Chapter 20

_He hadn't seen neither his mother nor Deidre since teatime and none of them replied when he knocked on their doors on his way down to the feast.  
"They are probably already there, come on now." Kili tugged his jacket, eager to get down and meet the rest of those they had traveled with for so long, and all the others as well. There was a rumor that Gandalf might show up too.  
"Fine." He sighed and tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in his chest as the brothers walked down towards the big banquet hall.  
"Fili! Kili!" It was Dwalin, he caught them both in a big hug and greeted them welcome home again. Slowly they made their way through the crowd, shaking hands with people, being hugged and greeted and welcomed home. Thorin placed them on his right side; Fili sat the closest to him with Kili on his other side. Bilbo was placed on Thorin's left and next to him there were two empty seats before Dain, Thorin's second cousin came.  
"Where is your mother?" Thorin asked.  
"I don't know, I haven't seen her since tea and she didn't open her door when we knocked."  
"And the girl that was with you?"  
"Deidre? Same with her. No answer."  
Thorin wrinkled his brow and hitched a shoulder. Bilbo saw his unease and poured him some wine;  
"Relax, they are women-folk, the same everywhere, tell them it's a party and they will spend the day getting ready and are still late. They will probably be here soon." The little hobbit patted Thorin softly on the hand. Thorin gave his fingers a squeeze and took a sip of the wine.  
"You are probably right my little burglar." His tone was warm and loving when he looked over at the curly haired man. _

_Without warning the light suddenly dimmed down causing everybody to look around to find the source of it, even the candles on the table seemed to glow darker than before. And when every sound seemed to die down as well even though people started to stir anxiously.  
"What's going on?"  
"Where did the light go?"  
"What's happening?" Voices were whispering, when they too silenced a small wind started dancing around the hall, bearing with it the smell of summer; fresh grass, flowers and sunshine. He started getting his suspicions about what was going on. Kili leaned closer to him and he heard a whisper; "Do you smell flowers?"  
"Yes." He nodded._  
 _The wind kept dancing and in the dim light he saw people around him looking around to find where it was coming from, even though everybody knew they were deep below ground and the room didn't have any windows. His uncle stood up and with a hard voice demanded to be told what was going on. The reaction that came was un-predictable; a big gust of wind hit him in the chest and forced him down in his seat again. He groaned when he hit the back of his head on the high backrest. Everything was dead silent and slowly the candles lit up again one by one._

 _Seemingly from out of nowhere his mother appeared behind an empty seat and sat down. He caught her eye and saw a small grin play inside her neatly trimmed and braided beard as she tilted her head towards the door. He turned his head and his eyes became huge, seeing his reaction caused everyone else to look around as well. Framed by the large opening and lit up by an unearthly light stood the most beautiful creature he had ever seen; dressed in yellow and black with hair black as a ravens wings and eyes like a hunting falcon. The light which surrounded her seemed to almost pulsate. He gasped when he realized whom it was, the braids and the weirdly cut clothes were gone. In front of him stood Deidre, back straight and casually leaning on the cane that the elves had given her._

 _A smile was playing in the corner of her mouth as she stepped over the threshold while the wind died was and the light came back. The only sound was the dwarves' shocked gasps. Fili stood up like he had been shot from a canon, straightened his jacket and walked around the big table and stopped diagonally in front of her, bowing deep;  
"Lady Deidre."  
She curtsied; "Prince Fili." Her voice was soft and held a repressed laughter. He gave her his arm and together they walked over to the head of the table where they formally bowed and curtsied for his uncle;  
"Uncle Thorin; may I formally introduce her Lady Deidre Conall, sorceress, animal whisperer, adoptive sister to Logon, relative to King Thranduil and Prince Legolas and my dear friend. Lady Deidre; this is my mother's brother, Thorin II Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, King under the Mountain." She curtsied even deeper and looked up through her thick eyelashes on the king. The king stared at her and then realized that she was waiting for his approval and bowed his head.  
"It is a pleasure to meet you my King, your sisters sons has told me so many magnificent things about you during our brief friendship. I was delighted to hear that, despite my kinship, I was welcome in your marvelous halls." Her voice was very formal and even if she didn't raise it Fili was certain that everyone could hear her. Thorin got up from his seat and bowed his head ever so slight for her;  
"Lady Deidre; you are even more beautiful than I have been told and your little show was stunning.' Fili shrugged when he heard in what tone his uncle said show and knew that Deidre would turn her thorns outwards, but without interruption his uncle continued; 'you are welcome in my halls for as long as you wish, just remember that your elven titles is not worth much here."  
Fili just wanted to smack his forehead with his hand; his uncle was the most stubborn dwarf he knew. There were gasps going through the gathered dwarfs but before anyone could say anything and before hurricane Deidre was unleashed, her back had straightened up and she had taken a sharp breath, the doors flung up again and a bellowing voice was heard;  
"THORIN OAKENSHIELD! WHAT IS IT THAT I HEAR? MIND YOUR MANNORS!" Gandalf the Grey had arrived. He stormed through the doors and hovered over the crouching Thorin;  
"You apologize this instant or I swear I will pluck you of that throne and throw you to the other side of Middle Earth!" When Thorin looked like he was about to argue, Gandalf furred his brow and seemed to grow, Fili's uncle immediately caved and turned towards the now calm Deidre;  
"I hope you can forgive my rudeness Lady Deidre." He mumbled. She gave up a soft laugh that sounded like silver bells dancing through the air and put her hand on the kings arm;  
"Apology accepted my king. I am sure it is the lack of food that is to blame and I guess that is my fault, I just _couldn't _pick a dress to wear after your kind sister brought me so many." She sounded like a young girl with her head filled with cotton instead of a brain but after her performance they all knew that really wasn't the case. She poured the still confused king some wine and handed him the goblet before taking her assigned seat between Fili and Kili._


	21. Chapter 21

During the rest of the meal she entertained those sitting close to her with little party tricks, getting the candlesticks to levitate, changed the color of the flames and so on. "Can you make things disappear?" Bilbo asked.  
"I haven't tried but my great-grandmother warned me about that. She said what has been done can't be undone; she somehow failed to clarify what would happen. Though I would never dare to try." She shook her head. In the corner of her eye she saw how Gandalf was looking very intense at her.  
"Was she a sorceress too?" Someone asked.  
"She was…' she trailed off, unsure of how to proceed that line of thought, her great-grandmother had been a powerful woman with a lot of knowledge about almost everything and anything but had never shown any powers of her own. Deidre picked up the sentence again; 'she was not like me, she was her own and I was too young when she passed on to remember if she ever showed any powers."  
"And what about your parents?" Thorin asked, the king wanted to keep up his appearance but she could sense that he was just as eager to know more as the others were despite his un-fondness for her adoptive family. She smiled gently at him;  
"My father can read minds and move things around, through him I've gotten the gene that makes it possible for me to communicate with animals, such as horses, birds and every other creature out there. My mother is a healer. She can actually feel what is wrong with a person the moment she touches him. We are all different and I think that has to do with the fact that we all think in different ways. But as I told Fili' she gave the man beside her a warm look which he replied; 'I am amazed that you are so comfortable regarding my interactions with animals. Where I'm from, that is unacceptable. If the wrong person had seen me use this gift out in the open, I could have been severely punished, thrown in jail or killed." The king gave her a long look with his piercing eyes.  
"Lady Deidre, to be totally frank with you; the fact that you can communicate with animals isn't all that weird to us. Just ask Mr. Baggins. He is the one whom spoke to, and tricked Smaug. And we all spoke to the ravens upon the cliff when we waited for the foul beast that had taken our mountain for his own."  
"But didn't both the dragon and the ravens speak our language?"  
"That was very sharp of you, yes they do, but what I'm trying to say is that there are stranger things to be afraid of than some little girl speaking to the horses."  
She was sure he had started out aiming of a compliment but failed completely. In the corner of her eye she saw Fili just bury his face in his palms and shake his head. How should she react to the poorly hidden insult about her being a little girl and only able to talk to house pets? He had seen some of what she could do but still she hadn't flaunted everything yet.

A hand fell on her shoulder and Dís voice was in her ear; "The room is getting darker again darling. Shake it off; he is just a bit drunk. There will come a time when you can really show him what you are capable of."  
She shrugged, the other woman was right. There was a time and a place, so she quickly changed the subject; "So, my King Thorin; Fili told me you all play instruments?"  
The king took a sip of his wine; "That we do."  
"I have never heard dwarfish music before, what does it sound like?" She battered her eyelashes at the man and his strict face loosened up once again. He put his goblet down with a bang; "Lads, go get your instruments, the lady wants music!" Then he himself picked up a golden harp from behind his chair. There was some commotion when the rest of them followed. Fili and Kili pulled out small fiddles from underneath the table and down the table she saw Bofur give her a big smile and together with Bifur he picked up a clarinet. Then they all stood up and assembled by one of the big hearths and started playing a sad tune that almost broke her heart. Bilbo turned around in his seat and placed his feet up on an empty chair, lighting up a very long pipe, never taking his eyes of Thorin. Gandalf sat next to him and the odd couple looked very happy smoking their pipes and watching the dwarfs.

When they had finished the song, she applauded them; "That was beautiful! Truly!" All of them flashed big, happy grins looked at each other and then Bombur started banging on his drum and a much happier tune picked up, causing her to giggle. Then Fili put his fiddle down and went over to her; "May I have this dance Lady Deidre?"  
"You can, but I am afraid that I don't know how to dance to this music." She bowed her head and took his outreached hand. He pulled her to her feet; "Don't worry, I'll show you."

The rest of the evening and almost 'til the break of dawn they danced, drank and at the end of it all, she was no longer a stranger amongst the dwarfs. She had found herself a home in this strange new world.

 _He had been a bit shocked the first time he had seen the young girl. She was a spot image of Camilla, his late wife. None of the dwarfs knew about the fact that he had previously been married to a human. He kept a close eye on her during the rest of the night, saw her dance with all of them but mostly with Fili and he smiled. She looked so happy. He knew that he needed to talk to her but that would have to wait. The tricks she had pulled off earlier was a clear sign of how powerful she really was. He smiled at her through the pipe smoke and she gave him a flashing smile back._


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey kids! Sorry aboutt the late update, had a crazy time at work the last few weeks... I just want to wish you all a merry christmas! :)**

 **Love D.**

The next day they ate a late breakfast, most of the men were still dressed in the same clothes as the night before. She had stumbled into bed at the break of dawn and now her feet ached and her head felt mossy but she pulled on the clothes she had gotten from Tauriel at their departure, leaving the vest in her rooms and just allowed the tunic to flow free. Her hair was loosely braided over her shoulder as she dragged herself into the dining hall. She slumped down into a big soft chair and closed her eyes.  
"Would you like something to drink?" It was one of the young servants; Deidre thought this one was a girl even if it was hard to tell.  
"Tea please, strong."  
"Coming right up." The servant went away only to return a short while later with a big, steaming cup of tea.  
"Thank you." She sighed, after filling it with honey and milk she took a big gulp. This was heaven. After piling her plate with freshly baked bread, cheese, eggs and some bacon she gulped it down. Well in on her second cup of tea Fili and Kili stumbled through the doors and sat down next to her, by now she was feeling awake and alert so she gave them a cheerful 'hello' only to get dark looks back.  
"Are we feeling a bit sick this morning?" She giggled causing them to just grunt at her and reach for the coffeepot.

Gandalf came through the doors, dressed in the same grey cloak as the night before;  
"Lady Deidre, could I borrow you for a while?" He asked.  
"Of course, now?"  
"Please?" He made a swooping gesture towards the doors.  
"Sure." She refilled her big cup and followed the tall wizard out and up a few flights of stairs. They emerged in a hidden garden, surrounded by the high mountain. The sun was high in the air and shone down on them. A tiny bluebird landed on a low hanging branch above her head, she looked up at it and smiled; "Yes I know, your children will be just as magnificent as you one day."  
"You look just like Camille, she used to talk to the birds all the time too."  
"Camille?" Her great-grandmother's name had been Camille. She shot the wizard a confused look; he sat on a small bench and patted next to him. She cautiously sat down leaving a large gap between them.  
"My wife. We were married for twenty years before she disappeared one morning. It was midsummer; she was going out for a walk and never came back." He looked down at her with calm eyes; "You look just like her, except the eyes, hers was deep blue."  
"But she died when I was just a child, that's over fifty years ago! This is impossible! How come I have never heard any of this before?" She was now pacing around the small garden, waving her hands in the air and filled with confused and mixed emotions. Then she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him;  
"Deid…" He started to say her name but she shushed him. Then she put words to her thoughts;  
"my great-grandmother, I remember her daughter, my paternal grandmother, once telling me that she went missing at a young age…' She tried to remember the old story; 'She disappeared during the mid-winter festivities without a trace only to come back several years later wearing strange clothes and pregnant…' she looked up at Gandalf in shock; 'Holy Mother of Hell when it's frozen; you are my fucking great grandfather old man!" She cussed and he stared at her in shock;  
"Don't use that language young lady!" He banned her. The surprise of that hit her like a tidal wave and she just sat down and laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks.  
"This. Is. Fucking. Fantastic!' She breathed, unable to help the cussing; 'I fall through a rift, end up in a world with elves, dwarfs, orcs and what-not only to meet my paternal great grandfather. This is just too fu… sorry, effing much!" She wiped the tears away from her cheeks and looked up at the calm man. He gave her a weak smile inside the beard;  
"I feel the same way, when I lost Camille, I thought I would lose my mind. But she had told me about where she was from and I prayed every day that, hopefully, she had gone back there."  
She stood up and went over to him, after sitting down next to him she leaned her head on his shoulder; "And she lived a long, happy life. She gave birth to an amazing woman whom in turn had my father. We are a strong willed family as you probably know. She died happy, Gandalf, she passed away surrounded by her family at the age of two hundred and seventy five. That's _old_ where I come from, most people don't live over the age of two hundred."  
"Was she happy? I know she told me about her parents not being the kindest of people."  
"Yes, I remember my grandmother, your daughter, telling me that Camille broke it off with her parents when she came back and went to live with her cousin that helped raise her daughter. He was like her older brother."  
"Gustavo? Yes she told me about him. It was him she missed the most all those years she was here."  
"How long were she here?"  
"Thirty five years. She came here very young, lived with a family in a small village when I found her. She was talking to a hare, telling him to run away because the hunters would be coming soon. She was really fond of animals, and them of her. Every time she as much stepped outside she was surrounded by all kinds of mammals."  
She smirked; "Yeah, that kind of runs in the family."  
They looked around and saw the birds, the only creatures to be this high up, sitting in the trees looking at her. She whistled a soft little tune and the bluebird from before flew down on her finger.  
"Hello darling, aren't you a beautiful boy? Yes you are!" She cooed and sent her love through the link towards the small bird, getting the same back.

"I can see that." He smiled down at her, a genuine grandfather-smile, filled with age and love. They spent hours in that garden until the sun had passed and the shadows were getting longer. It was such a relief to her to be able to talk to someone who clearly understood everything she was going through. She told him about her father and mother, about her grandmother, her job, her life back home, about how Logon had adopted her and everything in between. He just listened and came with questions every now and then when her thoughts jumped to far away from what she had just been talking about. Afterwards she felt much happier, especially after he had promised to help her explore her powers even more. Now she knew where some of them came from; it was her inheritance from him.

 _The more time he spent with her, the more he saw her resemblance to Camille, it was clear that she really was his great granddaughter. His heart swelled by the mere thought of it. Here he thought he had been doomed to live without family forever but somehow, some God had thought differently and sent this amazing little girl to him. He could feel the power reeking from her; his powers in a perfect mix with Camille's. The reason he had come to Thorin and the Lonely Mountain was that he had felt strange forces move around the world a few weeks ago. Now he realized that it was_ her _he had felt. And the way she spoke, her accent was a bit strange and when she got emotional she cussed worse than any fisherman he had ever encountered but it was like listening to a waterfall dancing over stones. The shadows grew longer and when she couldn't stop yawning he pulled her to her feet and they walked inside again. Outside her rooms he stopped to say good night. The warm hug she gave him startled him a bit, even if they were related they had just met the other night, but he figured it was her relief of having someone to talk to so he hugged her back, kissed her on the forehead and promised that they would talk more the next day. As she sleepily closed her door he turned to walk down to the main hall again. On his way through the hallway towards the stairs he nodded a hello to Bofur that sat on a stone bench, carving on a piece of wood._


	23. Chapter 23

_Even though they all seemed to more or less have accepted her Fili had pulled him aside as soon as she had left the dining hall with Gandalf that morning;  
"Bofur."  
"Aye?"  
"Could I ask you a huge favor? It is important that no one finds out, especially not Deidre." Fili gave him a concerned look and he nodded.  
"Sure, what is it?"  
"I know everyone here seems like they have accepted Deidre but I am still worried about her. I know all too well that she can defend herself but she is a stranger despite everything. I will probably be too busy to keep an eye on her all the time now, Thorin's got a lot of things he needs to discuss with me, and Kili. Could you help me by keeping her company? If anything should happen just send for me and I'll be right there."  
"Of course Fili, she is a nice lass, it will only be my pleasure."  
"Thank you so much, and remember she can't find out!" Fili looked so relieved when he agreed.  
"Don't worry lad.' He patted the other man on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring grin just as Thorin called Fili over; 'I'll start right now, you go do your thing." They separated and he walked out to the stairwell asking a servant if he had seen Gandalf anywhere, when he was informed that the wizard and the new girl was out in the small garden he knew he couldn't sneak up on them without being noticed, therefor he took out a small piece of dark wood and placed himself on a stone bench in the hallway between her rooms and the garden so he could see if they got more company or if she came back inside. Absentmindedly he carved on the wood, not paying any attention to what he was doing. Hours later he heard footsteps and was passed by Gandalf, coming alone from the direction of her rooms. He realized that he must have nodded off some time ago. The wizard nodded a hello to him as he passed but didn't stop; he looked like he had a lot on his mind. After a few minutes he stood up, brushed of his pants and decided to visit her so he knocked the door and heard a muffled; "Coming!" sip through the thick wood._

The first thing she did when Gandalf left was kick of the boots and let her hair out. All the excitement from this day and the late night had started to get to her. A muffled knock was heard and she yelled "Coming!" and then opened the door only to stare into Bofur's smiling eyes.  
"Hello Bofur! Come in!' She stepped aside; 'Would you like some wine?" He looked tired and nodded. She poured him some and grabbed a goblet for herself as well, he stood awkwardly inside her door so she shoved him towards the big table; "Please sit! What can I do for you?"  
"I just wanted to see how you were doing after the long night and all."  
"Oh, thank you, I'm just a bit tired but other than that I'm fine. You hungry?" She knew she was and had heard his stomach rumble.  
"Aye, a bit."  
"Come, let's go get some food!" She pulled on her boots again and together they walked back to the dining hall that was almost deserted by now. As they ate he placed the little wooded piece he had been holding next to him. So far only a pair of tiny ears were peaking up from it;  
"What are you making?" She pointed at it.  
He squinted at it; "I am not sure, it looks like a squirrel I think."  
She squealed; "I love squirrels!" And he blushed;  
"You can have it when it's done Lady Deidre." He mumbled with an embarrassed tone, just as she gave him an overwhelming thank you Fili slumped down next to her and gave her hand a squeeze;  
"What's all the cheering about?" He started to load his plate with food.  
"Bofur is making me a squirrel!" She smiled and pointed at the wooden block again. Fili nodded in agreement; "Bofur makes the best toys here, you should be lucky." Bofur blushed even more at the praise. After dinner Fili hooked his arm through hers and in company of Kili and Bofur they took her on a long, proper tour of the mountain. Her head was spinning from all the stairs and halls when they finally returned to the floor with her chambers, by now it was only her and Fili, Bofur had dropped off some time ago and Kili had gone with him. They were walking arm in arm and she rested her head on his shoulder. He opened the door for them and followed her inside. A servant had been there, taken away the half drunken goblets of wine only to replace them and the bottle as well as started a fire in the big fireplace. Fili sat down on the divan and she placed herself between his legs, leaning her back against his broad chest.  
"So, how you had a good day?" He asked in a low voice.  
"Yes, thank you for the tour; it will take some getting used too though. This place is huge."  
"I know, I still feel a bit lost to be honest. But you'll get used to it." He smiled down at her and she leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling very safe wrapped up in his arms.

 _He looked down at the girl that was half asleep in his arms; she had a tiny smile on her face that barely showed the dimple on her cheek. He wondered what she was thinking about but didn't want to disturb her. She stirred, sighed and went back to sleep with a tight grip on the front of his shirt so he just cradled her closer and leaned his head on the backrest, trying to get some sleep himself, happy to be around his own kind again._

 _The next morning they were woken up by a soft tap on the door, sometime during the night they had stumbled into the big bed instead, falling asleep fully clothed, still wearing their boots and all. Deidre had her back towards him, sleeping in a little ball without reacting to the knock so he rubbed his eyes and stumbled out of the bed only to meet his mother in the living room. She looked at him with judging eyes but as she saw the state of his clothes it softened again and she smiled at him; "Good morning."  
"Mother. What time is it?"  
"A couple of hours after dawn. Is Deidre still sleeping?"  
"Yes. I assure you that nothing has happened, we were just up late talking and fell asleep and…" She held up a hand and stopped him;  
"Hush now or you'll wake her. Come with me." She lead him to her own chambers that were massive, only appropriate for the sister of the king after all, a servant brought them breakfast and as they ate they spoke about Deidre a lot; he told his mother about how they had met, how the girl had helped him with his nightmares and everything he could think about.  
"Oh mother, she is special. Stubborn with a wild temper but oh you should have seen her at the elves. Even they were amazed the first time the birds landed outside her room. When the door opened she was sitting in her bed, studying Sindarin from a book and around her there were all kinds of animals and they were just _sitting _there, listening to her words! It looked like a fairytale! And when she got adopted by Logon as his sister, the things she did then!"_

 _Dís just looked at him and smiled, his eyes were shining when he spoke and he gestured wildly with everything he told her about the human girl. Gandalf had visited her after he had spoken to Deidre and told her about their kinship but she had promised to keep it a secret for now, eventually the word would get out but for now, she was the only one who knew. She smiled to herself, Fili was the heir to Thorin's throne and if Deidre didn't find a way to rejoin with her family she would be the perfect match for her son as he became king even if neither of them knew it yet. Dís wanted the best for her sons and the best they should have._


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi everyone! Hope you had a great christmas! Today's my b-day so in celebration of that I'm gonna post the next part :)**

 **Love D.**

* * *

The weeks passed slowly at first but once she got familiar with the halls of the great mountain kingdom, when the dwarfs stopped staring at her and the more she got to know Fili and his family along with Gandalf and Bilbo she finally felt at home, even though she missed Logon very much, almost as much as her parents. After all, he had become like a brother to her, both legally and emotionally. The days she did not spend with Fili, she spent alone in the little garden where Gandalf had taken her on her second day there, or with Kili, Bofur or any of the others. Thorin still kept a bit of a distance but slowly he began to see past her elvish bonds and started to see her as whom she truly was; a sorceress, a human girl and the great granddaughter of Gandalf the Grey. The word had gotten out somehow that she had been spending much time with the wizard, Fili had grown a bit suspicious and one night she had told him, Dís, Thorin and Kili, soon after that the secret was out and she was once again the center of attention when she moved around, there were whispers and people pointing when they thought she wasn't looking. At first this bothered her but after a talk with Fili where he told her not to care about it along with a few other advices she dropped it and not before long, they stopped, once again growing accustomed to her.

Her relationship with the dwarfish crown prince grew. The first few weeks after their arrival she barely saw him due to all the obligations he had with Thorin but one night when she had hardly seen him for three days straight she had been having dinner with Dís in the older woman's chambers and not being able to keep the tears away;

"Deidre what's wrong?" The dwarf looked at her across the table.  
"Nothing." She mumbled. She knew all too well that her hormones were a mess this time at the month and every little drawback could send her over the edge, making everything black and gloomy. It had been almost three days since she had last seen Fili, he was up earlier than her and went to bed well after midnight every evening, there was a delegation of elves coming soon from Mirkwood, secretly she hoped Logon would come too, and the planning this took to get everything ready before they arrived had Fili's full attention as well as Thorin's. Stubbornly she stared down on her plate, feeling a bit sick along with a lump of tears in her throat didn't do its best for her appetite.  
"You need to eat something."  
"I'm not hungry.' She stood up; 'Actually, I'm not feeling very well, I need to lay down for a bit, could you excuse me?" Before Dís had time to answer she fled the chambers and slammed the door after her as she entered her bedroom, throwing herself on the bed and curled up into a little ball, sobbing hard.

A soft hand landed on her shoulder, she had not heard anyone come in;  
"Little girl, come here." Dís strong arms wrapped her against the broad chest as she cried her hear out. Meanwhile Dís rocked back and forth, mumbling comforting words in dwarfish.  
When she started to calm down she was handed a glass of very cold water, she drank a few gulps, feeling it going down her throat.  
"Feeling better?" She got a long look from the older woman and she nodded with her eyes lowered;  
"Not really, maybe a little."  
"Do you want to talk to me about it? Has my son been mean to you? Or anyone else?"  
She shrugged; "Not mean no, it's just that I feel like I never see him anymore, he is always occupied with the king and here I am, feeling totally useless, just walking around doing nothing all day. I am used to working from sun-up to sun-down but here there is nothing I can do!" She forcefully wiped away the tears that burned in her eyes again, now feeling more angry than sad.  
"What did you do for living in your world?" A few numbers of dwarfs now knew that she was not from here. They were Thorin, Dís, Fili and Kili and for some strange reason Balin, Bofur and of course Bilbo. They had been told soon after they had found out about her and Gandalf, to explain why no one had known about her before, but it was still only the wizard that seemed to fully understand everything she told them about it.  
"I was a librarian.' At Dís' confused look she elaborated; 'I worked with books, lending them out to people, kept track on whish where old and needed to be replaced, brought new ones when they were written and so on."  
"I see, and this made you happy?"  
"Yes, I love books, ever since I was a little girl I've been having a hard time in big crowds therefor I chose a profession where I get to spend as much time alone as possible, I love to read and learn new things. The elves began to teach me Sindarin when I stayed with them."  
"I will see what I can do. There are a lot of books here that needs to be sorted and stacked, maybe you could be in charge of that?"  
She clapped her hands together; "Oh I would love that!" The feeling of finally getting something to do all day was overwhelming but at the same time revealing. Even if she preferred to be alone, did not mean she wanted to sleep her days away doing nothing.  
"Now, what was it you told me about not seeing Fili for three days, was it?"  
"Oh it's probably nothing, I know he's got a lot on his mind right now with the elves coming to visit and so. It's just that it can go days without me seeing him because he is so fully loaded with chores."

"That is not right, after all, it was him that told you to come to us, then he should not let you spend all days alone without checking up on you.' Her eyes narrowed; 'I will take care of this matter too. Now, why don't you see if you could get some sleep? You look very tired and a bit pale."  
"Thank you. Yes, my stomach is cramping a bit but sleep sounds fine."  
"I will send someone to you with a hot stone that always helps.' Dís kissed her forehead; 'sleep tight _Narag kheled*_ and I will talk to Balin regarding the books and all that."  
"Good night Dís." Dís had used a nickname she had gotten at the very beginning, it was the word for black glass, for her black hair and very see through skin, even when she was tanned from the sun you could see the veins placed close to the surface of her skin. Dís had been the first one to use it and somehow it had caught on and stuck to her.

*Black glass


	25. Chapter 25

After her talk with Dís, Balin came to see her the next morning after breakfast, he showed her to a big room filled with bookshelves and tables covered in scrolls, books and loose papers in all shapes and stages.  
"This. Is. Heaven!" She exclaimed as she saw it, her fingers itched to dig into the project and Balin just chuckled behind her;  
"Well, Dís said you liked books, this is the best I can do, there are ink, parchment and quills over at that table if you want to keep a record on them."  
"Is there any particular order you would like them in Master Balin?"  
"No not really, you use what you prefer and if you need help just come and see me in my chambers. Good luck!" He bowed his head and left, leaving the door open for her to let some air in.

 _His mother had given him a very hard verbal slap in the face when she had told him about how Deidre was feeling regarding him being so very occupied with work so today he left the throne room after lunch and went up to see her. He searched both her chambers, the little garden, the stables and everywhere he could think of without finding him. Finally he ran into Bofur;  
"Have you seen Deidre?"  
"She's in the archive with Balin, they were talking something about sorting the books, I figured since she was with him, she was safe."  
"Thank you!" He yelled over his shoulder as he walked with long strides towards the archives. Well there he didn't have to look long, through an open door he heard someone hum a strange, sad tune under her breath and since it wasn't a dwarfish tune it was not too hard to guess.  
"Deidre?"  
"In here!" He stepped inside and looked around without seeing her, the room was lit up by small balls of light floating in the air.  
"Catch!" He looked up and just caught the big book that came falling towards him before it hit him in the head. She was standing, dressed in her very tight leggings and a short sleeved elvish tunic balancing on a high ladder several feet in the air. He groaned when he caught the book, it was heavier than it looked. He almost had a heart attack when he looked up next; she was sliding down the ladder with her hands and feet on the long handles that were normally used for pushing it and not so much for holding on to. With a tingling laughter that had a hard undertone she landed on the floor, levitated the book away from him and over to a high, leaning stack on one of the tables.  
"Thank you for catching It."  
"You're welcome. But why didn't you levitate it directly to the table?"  
"Oh I would have, but you were standing in exactly the right spot, so thank you. Again." Even if she smiled at him he could see the small wrinkle between her eyebrows that told him something was wrong, and combined with her not looking directly at him and keeping her hands occupied confirmed it so he stepped over to her side of the big table and took her hand; "I had a visit from my mother last night. She gave me a very hard slap in the face and told me I have been neglecting my duties as your friend and your host. I have been very ego and selfish, only working and not giving you the attention you need and deserve. Deidre, will you please forgive me for this? I promise I will make it up to you." His voice was sincere and as he looked at her, their eyes in the same level seeing as she was barefoot and he was not; she had tears in her eyes and a faint smile on her lips.  
"Don't worry about me Fili, I will be fine, I am always fine. But thank you though." She caressed his cheek and turned her back towards him. He wrinkled his brow, something was very, very wrong. He grabbed her hand again and turned her around only to see tears flowing free and silent down her cheeks between her closed eyelids.  
"Deidre, please tell me what's wrong, please?" he pleaded._

 _"_ _Everything!" She threw her arms out with a furious look on her face.  
"If it is me being away too much I have spoken to Thorin about it and he allowed me some more free time as soon as all this with the elves is over. Maybe we can take the horses and go for a long ride? Would you like that?"  
"It's not just that, Fili, it is so much more than you working. I am not stupid, I understand that you have a lot to deal with here, you need to re-build your fucking empire!' she cussed and picked up a pile with books while continuing; "Did you know that in four days it is my name day? Neither did I until I stumbled across a calendar in one of those piles!' she made a vague gesture towards a huge table stacked with scrolls; 'I am turning sixty five in four fucking days. That is the most important birthday except for the even hundreds, hundred and fifty and two hundred because it is where you go from being a youngling to a proper adult and my parents won't be able to celebrate that because they think that I am DEAD!" She slammed the heavy books down on a table and then everything happened at once, a chair exploded to smithereens, the lights popped like soap bubbles and the room was left in a semi-darkness. He stood there totally shocked and saw her silhouette run out through the door, leaving only the echoes' of her outburst behind. _

_After breaking though his shocked state he ran after her and found her under a big magnolia tree in what had become known as "the sorceress garden". She had her back against the trunk and a little bluebird in her hands. He saw her talking to it but couldn't make out any words but it sounded like Sindarin. Careful so that he wouldn't startle them he made his way over there and sunk down beside her. She gave him a weak smile and leaned her head on his shoulder. The little bird tweeted something that caused her to giggle;  
"Yes I know, but that is not very nice to say." She said to it as it flew away.  
"What did he say?"  
"It wasn't translatable. Sorry I ran off, that is my default, I split when things are messy or hard to deal with."  
He placed his arm around her shoulders; "It's all right, we're all different. Your name day was in four days you said?"  
"Mhm." She nodded.  
"Good, don't make any plans that day.' He pulled her to her feet and gave her a warm hug, he felt her arms around his waist and placed a kiss on the top of her head; 'now what do you say we go grab some foot wear for you and go for a walk? We could go into Dale and visit Bard and his family if you wish."  
"I would love too!" She gave him a big, warm smile and ran off to her chambers only to emerge a few minutes later, the leggings were switched to a simple skirt and on her feet she wore her soft elvish boots. _


	26. Writer update

**Writer update:**

 **I just want to apologize so much for the lack of updates! I have been superbusy at work and my private Life has been a rollercoaster the latest months :( I have the story finished at my computer (at home) and will update as soon as possible!**

 **Much Love**

 **D**.


	27. Chapter 26

**Hey guys! I'm soooo sorry for the LATE update, my life has been pretty busy and upside down the last month but, yay new chapter! Woh! Have a great weekend y'all! :)**

 **Love D.**

The rest of the day was spent in the city Dale which they had only passed through on their journey towards Erebor. She finally got to meet Bard and his three children and instantly took a liking towards the family, the men that had started to rebuild Dale had opened up a big market in one of the city squares where you could bargain for anything from cows to jewelry. She found a small stand where an old woman sold hand-made wooden beads. She asked Fili for some money and brought a small bracelet and a necklace.  
"You know I could have given you one in gold right?" He mocked her knowing how much she liked wearing jewelry, especially bracelets.  
"I know, but I liked this one." She stuck her tong out to him and made him chase her for a few steps before she allowed him to catch her.  
"You tease." He had his mouth to her ear and spoke so low she barley heard him over the noise, as she looked at him his eyes were filled with love and joy.  
"You haven't seen half of it." She whispered back and looking up at him through her eyelashes she bit her lower lip with a smile playing in the corner of her mouth.

 _He laid his arm around her waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder. People around them greeted the odd couple with smiles and little waves. Some of them remembered him from his visit to Lake Town. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks, they had reached a small opening amongst the houses, and there was a well in the middle, surrounded by houses.  
"What?" He asked her. She grabbed him by the hand and started pulling him towards a small two-story building. She pushed the door open and _squealed _with delight.  
"Oh Fili isn't it beautiful?!" She looked at him with shining eyes and flung her arms out, taking in the whole building in one motion.  
"It's a wreck Deidre, it could fall down on us any minute."  
"Spoilsport!' she moved in and stood behind him, pointing; 'a fireplace there, a stove over there and in that area over there' she turned him around once more; 'a small shop." She sighed and leaned her chin on his shoulder; "It's beautiful."  
He turned around and took her in his arms; "It is, but aren't you happy with the rooms you've got? This is a very small house, even by human standards."  
"Oh I am, it's just that this was so pretty and I can just..." She trailed off and sounded a bit sad. He kicked himself for putting a lid on her happiness.  
"Forgive me Deidre, do you really love it?"  
"Yes." She nodded against his chest.  
"All right then. Come on!" He mimicked her actions from earlier and grabbed her hand pulling her out of the small house and knocked on the door to its neighbour. __A short, redhaired woman opened, wiping her hands on a rag. Olívia, the girl who had helped them during the war._

 _"Yes?"  
"Good day madam, I am Fili.' He bowed, after all, he didn't know if she remembered him; 'I was just curious if anyone has claimed the house next doors yet?"  
She squinted over at the wreckage; "Not that I know of, no." then she looked at him with a smile in her eyes; "why are you asking Fili?"  
"Asking for a friend, that's all." _She remembered him. _He nodded over towards Deidre who was watching the small house again.  
"Thank you Olívia." He bowed again as she closed the door on them.  
"Fili what are you up to?"  
"Nothing my dear. You just wait and see." He poked her nose flashing her a grin._

He grabbed her hand and hand in hand they walked back towards Erebor.

That night they ate their dinner alone together in his rooms, not much was said, because words wasn't needed. They both knew how the other felt, that was pretty clear, but neither knew how to proceed. A few kisses, more than a few hugs and a lot of flirting had been shared over the weeks and months since they had gotten to know each other but taking it a step further was something neither she nor Fili was really sure how to do. As the lights burned down they moved over to the large sofas facing the fireplace instead. He sat down and she laid her head in his lap, absentmindedly he stroke her hair as they watched the fire dance, turning everything in the room orange and red.

The next morning she woke up and groggily she looked around to orientate herself. A soft snoring caught her ear and she realized that she was laying in his bed and Fili was sleeping next to her, his hands crossed over his chest. He was laying on top of the covers, still fully dressed while she was underneath the large cover, wearing the skirt and tunic from the night before. Turning over on her belly she looked at him, studied every little wrinkle on his face. A smile started to play in his beard and the snoring stopped;  
"Are you watching me sleep?"  
"Maybe."  
His very blue, piercing eyes opened and looked over at her; "Morning."  
"Yes, I think it is actually. I heard the bell." There was a huge bell that rang every hour somewhere inside the mountain.  
"Ah! Fili!" She yelped as he pulled her on top of him and a playful tickling match started. Eventually she gave in and let him win, he propped himself up on the elbows and looked down on her with a crocked grin;  
"You let me win, didn't you?"  
"Maybe." She tilted her head and seized the moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him very deep and meaningful on the lips. At first he was tense but soon he loosened up and ran his hand up her ribs and caressed her cheek.

A knock on the door made her cuss under her breath but they tumbled out of the bed and just as they corrected their clothes Kili peaked in. He blushed deeply when he saw the state they were in and quickly withdrew his head again.  
"Sorry!" He yelled from the main room.  
"What do you want brother?" Fili asked as they joined him for the breakfast the servants had brought in.  
"Thorin needs us today, to plan the last things before we send the messenger back to the elves.' He saw her cringe, she would have to spend another day alone again, at least now she knew what to do; 'sorry Deidre." She waved him off;  
"Don't worry sweetie, I have work to do down in the archives anyway. That place is a mess to say the least. Why don't you come and see me in the garden for tea later? You need a break anyway."  
They both smiled huge at her; "We'll be there." They promised.

After breakfast she kissed Fili on the cheek, waved good bye to his brother and went to her own chambers to freshen up and get to work with the scrolls.


	28. Chapter 27

**To make up for my long absence I'm giving you another chapter tonight :) Fare warning; it's a LONG one!**

Love

D.

The next few days she saw more and more of Fili and Kili, the planning for the elven visitors was done and now they were all just waiting. On the fourth day, she slept in late, the night before she had had trouble falling asleep, thinking about her parents and what they were going to do on what was supposed to be her sixty fifth birthday.  
She stretched like a cat before opening her eyes;  
"AH!" Hovering only inches from her nose was the grinning face of Bofur;  
"Morning lassie! Hurry up, ye are late!" He threw a skirt and a short sleeved tunic on the bed  
"Wha..?"  
"You'll see, hurry, hurry!" He urged her on. Thankfully she had slept in her short summer dress last night so she wasn't completely naked but seeing his reaction she could have been. "Oh Bofur, it _is_ a dress after all."  
"But it is _tiny_." He winced with his back towards her. She made sure he had his eyes closed and his back turned before she quickly pulled it off and replaced it with the clothes he had thrown on the bed;  
"There, am I descent enough?" He turned back to face her and lit up again;  
"Perfect!' he grabbed her hand; 'now come!" He pulled her out of her bedroom before she had time to put any shoes on and down a long flight of stairs only to emerge in the throne room.  
"Surprise!" Everyone yelled.

"Happy name day Lady Deidre." Bofur greeted her as her eyes filled up with tears, they were all there; Fili and Kili, Dís, Thorin and Bilbo, the rest of their company and Gandalf.

"Happy birthday _muinthel nín_." She heard a voice behind her saying in Sindarin. She flew around and stared into the smiling face of Logon.  
"Logon!" She yelped and threw herself around his neck, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. He held her tight for just a second before putting her back down and kissing her on the head;  
"I think there are some who wants to congratulate you." He turned her around again and all the dwarfs came over and greeted her.

She was then placed in a big, soft armchair at a table and breakfast was served. Fili sat close to her and Logon on the other side.  
"After you told me about it, I pulled something together. I hope you don't mind." The blonde dwarf whispered to her as he poured her some more tea.  
"Not at all, thank you." She flashed him a huge smile and pulled him into a hug and a kiss which resulted in wolf whistles and banging in the table from the others.  
"Oh shut up you dorks!" She laughed. They all ate until their bellies were full and then they pulled away the table and someone yelled "presents!" and her eyes turned huge, they all carried gifts for her.  
"But, you shouldn't have!" She protested.  
"Yes we should, now hush girl and let us celebrate you." Her grandfather said with a small smile in his beard.  
Dís came first carrying a large box, as she opened it, it was filled with different types of clothes; leggings, pants, tunics and a few dresses.  
"I know how you prefer to wear pants so I pulled some things together so you don't have to walk around half naked." Fili's mother had not been totally found of the tight leggings and pants she had gotten from the elves and the jeans she had brought with her. These were all made in a dwarfish style.  
"They are beautiful, thank you so much!" She hugged the other woman.  
"My turn!' Thorin exclaimed earning him an elbow in the ribs from Bilbo; 'I mean, this is from us." He handed her a huge package, she unwrapped it and it was a couple of very big, old books, the covers were leather and the titles were printed in gold.  
"They are beautiful." The men blushed.  
"I found them and thought about you actually. The top one is from the Shire and the bottom one is from the Blue Mountains." Bilbo explained. She leafed through the pages, they were neatly written and every now and again there were pictures. She placed them beside her and hugged the King and Bilbo.  
"I love them all ready." The couple blushed again and beamed with pride.

There were barley time to digest all the gifts given to her. Fili was the next one, he handed her a small, flat box. Speechless she looked at the content, it was a waistband of purest gold hammered to look like foxes, and they were joined nose to tail. There were a couple of big golden earrings as well as a couple of bracelets shaped from boar tusks, almost completely round and polished until they shone.  
"Thank you so much." She whispered; "They are beautiful." Her eyes filled with tears, and to the others delight she kissed him once again, straight on the lips without shyness. She felt him wrap his arms around her. When someone coughed they pulled away and her head was spinning slightly.

A very blushing Kili stood behind his brother with a small basket in his hands; "This is for you. I found him in the woods and there were no trace of a mother anywhere near. I waited for hours to make sure."  
She looked down and saw a small bundle of red fur and her eyes looked in to the very big, dark eyes of a fox cub. Through the link she felt his fear of the new smells and surroundings and also a curiosity.  
 _'Hello little brother, don't worry, they might smell weird but we don't mean you no harm.'_  
 _'_ _Where is my momma?'  
'I am afraid she is gone little brother. Will you allow me to help you grow big and strong?'  
_She opened the mental door for him and showed that she meant no harm.  
 _'Yes. You are kind.'_ Came the silent response. He jumped out of the basked and into her lap, yawned big and instantly fell asleep there instead, curled up to a little ball.  
"Thank you so, so much Kili, he is adorable." Kili had been staring at her the whole time with an anxious look on his face but now he sighed with relief and gave her a huge smile. It seemed like besides Gandalf he understood her connection with animals the best.  
After that she got another few books from Balin, a couple of history books and another one with children's stories. Dwalin came up next, the tattooed dwarf was very kind even if his looks had frightened her a bit in the beginning.  
"Princess." He bowed. Even if she time after time told him that she wasn't a princess, he was stubborn enough to keep calling her that every time he greeted her.  
"Dwalin." She nodded and he handed her a single key.  
"Thank you. What is this?"  
Bifur came over and handed her a piece of parchment with a drawing on, after saying something in Khuzdul he gestured to Dwalin to translate; "This is what it is Princess." She looked down and saw the little house they had found down in Dale, only it was restored, the shutters weren't crooked, there were flowers planted below the windows and the door was open.  
"You did this for me?" She choked on the lump in her throat.  
"We did, we will restore the house for you. Fili came and talked to us a couple of days ago and even if we are mostly just toymakers we will do our best."  
"Thank you so much!" She gently lifted the cub off her lap so that she was able to hug all of the dwarfs. Though Bofur pulled away and shook his head; "I will help with that too but this is from me." He handed her a small, hand carved squirrel. It was so realistically made that she could almost see its whiskers move.

"Oh Bofur I love it!" She exclaimed. Deidre looked down at it and without thinking twice she gathered her thoughts and sent a string towards the small creature. Slowly the wood melted away, it started with a flicker of an ear and the movement when he sniffed the air with his little nose. When it jumped up on top of the backrest on the chair everyone breathed in sharply. Gandalf looked like he was having a heart attack and they all stared at her with shocked expressions. The squirrel jumped across the table over to Bofur, sniffed his hand and nuzzled it with his face.  
"I think he knows you." She smiled at the frozen toymaker. He glanced down and a smile spread on his face seeing his creation come to life.  
It took some time for things to settle after that but eventually they all calmed down, especially when the squirrel jumped up Bofur's arm and fell asleep on top of his hat.

"Here." Gandalf came over with a long, thin package; 'Careful, it's sharp." She took caution unwrapping it, it was a short one hand sword, the pommel was a big, almost blood colored ruby, the same stones were inlayed in the belt. Logon smiled;  
"It may be fitting to give you this at the same time then."  
In his present there were a bow made in the same way the elves made theirs only smaller to fit her shorter body.

Fili sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand;  
"Great, give a girl who can put a mountain upside down _more_ weapons."  
"Are you afraid of me Fili?" She mocked him.  
"Yes, yes I am."  
That just did it for her and she started laughing, unable to stop.  
Here she was, in this distant world with a new family and new friends, more than she ever had, celebrating her sixty fifth name day. And the man, dwarf, she loved was admitting he was scared of her. Deidre skipped over to him where he stood with a sheepish grin, flung her arms around him once more; "Oh Fili, I love you." Then before he had time to answer and the room fell silent she kissed him again. This time she showed him what she really meant. When she pulled away the room was still silent and he was blushing red.  
"I, um, Iloveyoutoo." The words came almost too fast to be perceived but a sheepish grin spread across his face when he looked at her, confirming that she had in fact heard him correctly.

A sigh came from Dís corner; "Finally." As Deidre looked over at her the older woman just smiled and rolled her eyes at the couple. The magic moment was broken when a servant came up to Thorin and whispered something in his ear. The King's eyes turned huge and then a frown grew on his face. He whispered something back and the servant protested.  
"Fine. Tell them we'll be right there." He sent the man away again. By now they all looked at him. He just stared at Logon;  
"Seems you're friends have arrived a bit too early. Apparently they are riding through Dale at the moment."  
"I am so sorry your Highness, I had no idea of this." Logon apologized.  
"Mhm.' was the only response he got back before Thorin turned towards Deidre; 'It seems like we have to postpone the rest of your celebrations Deidre. The elves are here." He still had a sour tone to his voice.  
"I couldn't have been celebrated better in any way my King. Thank you so much for this, and thank you all for your marvelous gifts, they are more than I could have ever hoped for. I might have lost my first family but I have certainly found my second one right here." She said, then she thanked them all one by one again. She made a deal with Dwalin that they would go down to Dale the following morning to look at the house and to see what she wanted done with it. Then Thorin, Fili and Kili rushed off to put on some different clothes and Logon helped her carry all her new things to her chambers.


	29. Chapter 28

p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.2pt; line-height: 15.95pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;" align="left"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #444444; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: SV;""I will teach you to shoot that bow, and I've promised Gandalf to teach you some sword fighting as well." He explained as she placed the bow and quiver on the big table in her rooms. br / "That is wonderful! But how come you knew about my name day?"br / "I didn't actually. I had already planned to come here before the delegation anyway just to see you little sister, it has been long since last." He held out his arms and she ran into them, Deidre had missed her adoptive brother very much since she had left the elves. br / "I have missed you too." They spoke only Sindarin now that they were alone. br / "Are you happy here?"br / "Yes, I think so."br / "You shouldn't have to think about it little one. It is a yes or no question."br / "Then yes, I am happy. It has just been a weird transition, after all, I have been in this world less than six months. There are still so many things to get used to and adapt to, you know?"br / He pulled away a bit, looked down on her with a raised eyebrow and a crooked smile; br / "From what I've seen, you are adapting very well, three times at least."br / Jokingly she smacked him on his chest; "Shut up. We all knew that would happen."br / "Did we?"br / "Well, I did." She gave him a Cheshire grin and got one back in response before he rubbed her hair; "Well then, my dangerous little sister. What do you say we freshen up and go greet the others?"br / "Whom are coming?"br / "Thranduil, Legolas and some others. Coming to once again strengthen the bonds between our races. That is needed."br / "That it is." She had not met Thranduil more than once, on the night Logon had adopted her into his protecting shadow. She sent a passing servant for Logon's things and then he waited in her chambers while she cleaned up in the bathing room, playing with the little fox. She emerged again, dressed in a new midnight blue dress with light underskirts. It was cut a bit differently than her other dresses, showing of her kinship with the elves despite being of clearly dwarfish cut. It showed off a bit of cleavage, tightly fitted around her waist and the sleeves were barley reaching her elbows and very loose, almost a trumpet shape. Around her waist she wore the belt Fili had given her, along with the boar tusks and earrings. Her hair was up on top of her head, flowing over her left shoulder in big dark curls. Logon looked appreciatively at her and bowed; "Little sister, you look absolutely beautiful." br / She curtsied; "Thank you brother, you don't look to bad yourself." br / He too wore dark blue as his main color. He had dark grey leggings stuffed in his black, shining boots. On top of that he wore a grey skirt and the dark blue vest and jacket that matched hers. For someone on the outside that didn't know they were of different species they really looked like brother and sister, the only main differences were their height and eye color. The little fox had been fed while she was getting ready and now followed the couple like a domesticated dog, drawn by their joy and auras. The squirrel, she had decided to name him Chip, was riding on Logons shoulder. br / em'What do you wish for me to call you, little brother?'br / 'I do not have a name. My momma was yet to give me one. Is it important?'br / 'Not for me little brother, but the two legged creatures that residence in this den might feel unease if they do not know what to call you.'br / 'I do not care what they call me. As long as I can stay with you.'br / 'Well then. Just stay close to me or this male tonight, we will keep you safe.'br / 'Yes sister.'/em He happily skipped around their feet as she and Logon walked arm in arm down towards the throne-room. br / "Will he be safe?" Logon looked down at the happy cub. br / "I have told him to stay close to you or me tonight. He understood this so I think there won't be an issue." She smiled down at the fox as they stopped behind the big doors, waiting for the announcer to tell the gathered folks that they had arrived. /span/p 


	30. Chapter 29

He looked at the couple that stood there with the animals around them and with a slightly disapproving look he banged his staff in the floor;  
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce my Lord Logon, second cousin to his Royal Highness Thranduil, King of the Woodland realm. And his sister; Lady Deidre, the sorceress."  
The room fell silent and everyone turned around to look at them. The elven court had not yet arrived but all the dwarfs were gathered. Fili and Kili stood next to Thorin's throne, Dís was not seen, because dwarfish women were not often seen in public. She looked up at her brother and together they walked down towards the throne to pay their very formal regards to the king and the crown prince. She glanced over at Fili and had to bite her lip not to burst into laughter; he was looking at her with a big grin on his face. Kili looked about the same. They finally reached the throne and stopped.  
"My King Thorin. Thank you for being so hospitable towards my sister. I am in dept to you." Logon said as he bowed deeply. She smirked up at the king;  
"My king." She curtsied as deep as Logon bowed.  
"Lord Logon, Lady Deidre, you are very welcome to my _humble_ quarters."  
She snorted with laughter and the kings eyes twinkled with amusement, Deidre bowed her head again and led Logon, the fox cub and the squirrel to stand next to the prince's just as the announcer banged his staff to announce the arrival of the elven court.  
Thranduil of course came first, closely followed by Legolas and the rest of the court. Legolas turned his head ever so slightly as he passed them and winked. She just giggled at the whole thing.

The rest of the day was very long. After the greetings the kings and their closest men withdrew to closed chambers to negotiate regarding the peace. Bard came too along with a few men from Dale and Gandalf joined in too as a neutral. This gave her more time with Logon. She showed him her little garden and he started teaching her how to use the bow. At first all she did was miss but after a while she got the hang of it, especially after she realized that she could just _sense_ where the arrow was going with the use of her powers.  
"That's cheating." Logon complained.  
"It can't be cheating if the arrow hits the target, can it?" She stuck her tong out towards him.  
"Yes, practice makes perfect and all that?"  
"But that is so boring! Are you scared that I might get better than you?"  
"No, because I know that you cheat." He crossed his arms and gave her a stubborn look. Deidre just laughed at him.  
They spent another few hours in the garden before one of the servants came to find them.  
"My lady, the dinner is about to start."  
"Thank you, we will be right there." They dropped the bow of in her rooms before once again descending the stairs, this time taking their place at the big banquet table a few placed down from Fili and Kili. By now, Dís had also joined, sitting next to her brother. To her delight she saw that the two kings were almost feeling relaxed in each other's presence and were chatting away. She looked the other way and saw Bilbo a bit further down the table alongside the other dwarfs from the company and waved at them, getting waves back between the bites. When she looked around there were one face she missed, her grandfathers. Gandalf was nowhere to be seen.

Deidre stood up and walked up the table to Fili and leaned closer to him, whispering;  
"Where is Gandalf?" After all, Fili had been to the council so he must know.  
"He left early, said he had something to deal with, he didn't give any details though."  
"Okay, thanks. How did it go?"  
"What does it look like?" He motioned to the two, now slightly intoxicated, kings. She smiled;  
"Fine I guess?"  
"You bet. Your grandfather put his foot down and smashed their egos a bit, after that, getting them to make peace wasn't that hard." He chuckled and she laughed, catching Thorin's attention;  
"Deidre! Come!" He yelled, way louder than necessary and waved her over so she gave Fili's shoulder a squeeze and went to see what he wanted.  
"My king." She curtsied for him and did the same for Thranduil whom bowed his head towards her.  
"Oh stop the charades Deidre, you are more powerful than the two of us together." Thorin was _clearly_ drunk.  
"But you _are_ my King after all Thorin...' she hitched a shoulder; 'to be fair, you both are."  
"She is right my short friend.' Thranduil agreed then he smirked at her; isn't that right, niece?"  
Deidre bowed her head; "Yes, that is true."  
"So you are the missing link! Uniting humans, dwarfs and elves all in one very petite body."  
"Dwarfs?" She raised an eyebrow at the dwarf.  
"You are marrying my sisters' son, aren't you?"  
"What? You are getting married? As your older relative, and your king, I have to give my consent to this opposed marriage." Thranduil protested.  
"Married? To Fili?' She thanked her lucky star that the room was dimly lit so no one could see her blush _, of course the thought had crossed her mind_. 'We haven't even been on a date yet!" She flung her arms out.  
"What is a date?"  
"It is, um... When a boy and a girl who are interested in each other go out to dinner or maybe on a walk someplace romantic or um..." She trailed of, feeling her face burn. Thorin grinned big at her and she realized that he was just mocking her;  
"Oh shut up!"  
Thorin burst into a wild laughter, banging his fist in the table; "You should see your face!"  
Deidre just hissed at him and frowned, feeling embarrassed. Thranduil smirked and took another sip of whine.  
"Don't let my drunken friend here embarrass you Deidre."  
"Oh?"  
"You are too regal to _be_ embarrassed." he saluted her with his drink and she just laughed.  
At that moment someone picked up a tune and she looked around at Fili.  
"Come dance with me!" She yelled to him, as shot from a cannon he stood, came over and bowed deeply; "May I have this dance Lady Deidre."  
"Hmmm, let me think about it." She tilted her head. Shocked he starred at her but she just laughed and took his hand; "I'm just kidding with you Fili, of course I'll dance with you." He smiled and pulled her over to the musicians.

The rest of the very long evening and night she danced, mostly with Fili but also his brother, with Logon and a few others. Even Bard asked her for a dance, the man was very quiet around her but always gentle, as they danced he told her that his kids had not stopped asking when she would move into the small house Fili had claimed for her since they found out. She giggled and told him soon, and that they were always welcome to see her.

When dawn was not very far away, Fili grabbed her hand and together they sneaked away from the party that was still in full swing. They climbed the staircases, higher than she had ever been inside the mountain until they emerged on a high plateau overlooking the barren land that surrounded the mountain. They sat there, together and watched the sun rise.

"Deidre?"  
"Yes?"  
"Are you happy?"  
"I am now."  
"But overall, do you like it here?"  
"I do, everyone is so nice to me, and the house! I can't believe you got me a house Fili." She felt his chest move as he chuckled.  
"I thought you might like it. Gives you a reason to stay."  
She turned around and looked at him; "What do you mean by that?"  
"I thought if you had a reason to stay, maybe you weren't thinking about going back."  
"I can't go back, I don't know how. I don't even know how I got here. And I already had a reason not to go back."  
"You did?"  
"I have you.' She leaned in and kissed his lips; 'I love you Fili."  
"I love you too Deidre, with all my heart." He kissed her back, very slowly and her heart raced.

 _He looked down at the human girl in his arms and knew, he just knew this was the moment;  
"Deidre Conall, I know we've know each other for less than half a year but to me it feels like forever. You have shown me a whole new world, heck, you helped create one by being the missing link between those stubborn elves and us.' Here she laughed softly and punched him in the chest; 'but _despite _that, you are the most amazing person I have ever met and I want nothing more than to spend eternity with you." He took her hand and reached into his pocket.  
"Will you do me the honour of marrying me?" He held up a ring he had found in the treasury one day when he had been there with Thorin. It was of course made out of gold, too small to fit any dwarf, but he had immediately thought about her when he found it. It was thin, had engravings that looked like little leafs surrounding it and in the casing were a ruby, it was deep red and not to voluptuous but yet not too small.  
"Oh Fili it's beautiful! Yes of course I'll marry you!" She threw herself around his neck and knocked him over so they landed on the ground. He put the ring on her finger and kissed her knuckles. _

It was a secret everybody knew. And she realized that everyone had known what was about to happen before she did. That was why Thorin and Thranduil had teased her so much at the dinner about marriage. At first it bothered her but the first week after his proposal was too busy for her to care more about it; there were the elven delegation, her little house in Dale and a thousand and one more things. The little fox followed her everywhere, as did the now alive squirrel. One night when she was sitting at her desk in her house in Dale, Dwalin and the others had just left after putting the last nail in, there were a knock on the door;  
"Be right down!" She ran downstairs and opened the hatch, Gandalf bowed his head and came in; "Granddaughter."  
"Come in Gandalf, do you want some tea?"  
"Please. Hello little one." He scratched the fox between the ears.  
There were already a small fire in the stove so she poured some water in the pot and put it on the heat.  
"What brings you here this late? I haven't seen you since the elves arrived."  
"I had some errands to make." He lit his pipe.  
"For almost two weeks? You are avoiding my question grandfather."  
"That I am. Thank you." He accepted the cup and blew on the hot liquid.  
"Did you know I am getting married?"  
"Yes, congratulations. I met Dís up in Erebor, she told me you were here."  
"Thank you."  
"Are you happy here? Is this what you want? Do you wish you could go back to your parents?"  
"What do you mean? There isn't a way back."  
"Of course there is. There is always a way back my dear. That is what I have been doing. I have been searching far and wide, in every scroll I could find. I have found a way back for you."


	31. Chapter 30

She didn't know what to say. He had found a way for her to return _home._ She tasted the word. Home. But this was her home now. She looked around in the kitchen, the room was exactly like she had pictured it. And the fox and the squirrel slept together beneath the stove in a big bundle of fur. She thought about Fili, her beloved Fili, how he looked when he smiled, how his eyes twinkled when he looked at her, how he smelt of warm stones even in the middle of the night, how his hair felt under her fingers and every other little detail that made Fili, _Fili._ Then the rest of them flashed before her eyes; Logon, Kili, Gandalf, Dís, Thorin, Bilbo, Thranduil, Legolas and everybody else she had come to know and love.  
"I can't go back. I miss my parents _every single day_ and it pains me that I can never see them again but this is my home now; you, Fili, everyone. This house, Erebor, Dale; they are mine. Thank you for the offer grandfather but I cannot leave you all. I just can't."

 _The girl looked up at him with teary eyes. He did not know what he had expected but her stubbornness to stay did surprise him a little. Her nightmares about her parents were something he knew all too well, he had woken her up from more than one since they had found their kinship. Dís had told him about the engagement and he realized that he was too late with his discoveries. Had he found out earlier, maybe she would have left. He stood up and walked around the table to embrace her.  
"You don't have to decide right now. It is not possible to cross until mid-winter. Take your time little one. I am with you every step of the way, no matter what you choose." He kissed her on top of the head and lead her upstairs to tuck her in.  
"Get some rest and we will talk more when it gets closer to that date."  
"I love you grandfather." She mumbled, half asleep.  
He smiled to himself; "I love you too." He blew out the candle, made sure the stove was closed so no fire could escape before he left her house to go back to Erebor._

Their engagement was starting to take a toll on everyone. One minute they were as happy as ever, kissing and hugging until it was hard to be around them, the next they were yelling and fighting with each other, making their voices eco through the big halls. Their disagreement hadn't been there to begin with, it had come when she told him that Gandalf had found a way for her to cross between the worlds and go back to her own world.  
Fili had taken on the roll as the hurt hero, giving her up to let her go back where he said she belonged. She on the other hand had already made up her mind about staying, even if it broke her heart that she would never see her parents again.  
This particular day it was surprisingly warm and sunny for being this close to winter but the dwarfs huddled inside because they saw the storm that was about to come; and that storm was Deidre.  
"Deidre Conall don't you dare walk away from me when I am talking to you!" Fili's voice rang across the halls. She turned on the spot, fire in her eyes and her hair on edge;  
"Don't you tell me what to do Fili Durin! I am not some little wench you can flick a finger at and expect to be obeyed!"  
He put his hands up in front of him in a mocking version of a surrender;  
"Oh I am sorry, I didn't know you were a grown up because it seems to me that you are acting just like a spoiled child!"  
She slapped him hard across the face and ran down the tall staircase towards the main gate. By now the storm clouds had taken over the sky and a hard wind was blowing, making the leaves dance. Thankfully she had left her little companions in Dale this day. She gathered her thoughts and the clouds turned even darker. Running towards the human town she heard Fili yelling at her over the sound of the wind but she ignored him, when a hand she knew all too well grabbed a hold of hers she let go of the bond she held on the storm and it turned almost into a hurricane; the wind picked up and the rain gushed down on them.  
"Deidre, please listen to me! Don't I get a say in this?"  
"NO! No you don't! I love you, I want to stay here with you and grandfather and Logon! There is nothing for me if I go back! My parents think me long dead, and if they knew I was alive and well, they would support me in staying, so no you don't!" She yanked her hand free and started walking towards Dale again.  
"Deidre, stop!"

"No! If you want to talk to me, you have to keep up!' She yelled over her shoulder; 'and if it is too hard for you to have me here, knowing that there is a way for me back, then maybe we should just call it a quits with the engagement and I will move to Mirkwood where _I am wanted!_ "

 _He grabbed her hand again and pulled her to a stop, by now they both looked like drenched rats in the rain. When she was mad, the mental image he held of her was huge but now, despite her rage, he almost towered over her;  
"Don't you dare say I don't want you Deidre, I have never wanted anyone or anything as much as I want you. You are my sunshine, the reason I breathe, whenever we fight you might as well just rip the heart out of my chest and stomp on it because that is how much it pains me to have upset you. I love you. I love _you _."  
She looked up at him, he was a bit startled by this because he was normally the one who had to look up at _her _. He could see her eyes being filled with tears that blended with the rain on her cheeks. She reached up and stroke his cheek, he tried not to flinch, it was the one she had slapped less than half an hour earlier.  
"Oh Fili, I love you." Thunder rolled in when she leaned in and kissed him. He nestled his fingers in her hair and held her as close to his chest as possible. Breaking off the kiss he looked around, the rain had stopped like the push of a button and the sun was breaking through the clouds again. He took her hand and placed the ring on her finger again. She had thrown it at him before she stormed out of the mountain kingdom.  
"I love you too by the way. If I forgot to say that earlier." He smiled and kissed her knuckles getting her to laugh softly; "you didn't but I will never grow tired of hearing it."  
A very natural, extremely cold wind rolled in, causing them both to shiver in their wet clothes;  
"Come." Hand in hand they walked swiftly towards her house in Dale where he knew a fire was already being lit in the stove and warm food and blankets would await them. Her absentminded face told him this; she was already starting the preparations. _

_The little fox cub greeted them at the door, he had grown in the weeks he had lived with Deidre in Dale.  
"Hello little friend." He squatted down on the floor and scratched him behind the ears, earning himself a lick in the face. Deidre had disappeared upstairs and soon emerged again, dressed in the very short shorts she had worn the first time he had seen her along with a short sleeved, loose tunic. She handed him a pair of pants and a new shirt and shooed him upstairs to change from his wet outfit. As he came back down stairs it smelled delicious.  
"What are you making?"  
"Rabbit stew and garlic bread."  
"Smells wonderful." He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist taking in her scents. She closed her eyes and leaned against his chest and he felt like the happiest man alive._

 _'_ _Is this how it is for normal folks? You come home to your beloved, you have no obligations, no worries, nothing?' He thought to himself as they just enjoyed the moment. She had adjusted well but still had a hard time fitting in with the dwarfs. She seemed happier here where there were no servants, no guards and not someone who came to knock on the door at the most inconvenient hour of day. He had just finished his line of thought when a hard knock shook the house.  
"I'll get it." He kissed her just below the ear where he knew she was ticklish and when she squirmed he held her tight for a millisecond before he walked over to the massive door. He opened the hatch and had to quickly back away; whisked in by the storm and rain was a furious Gandalf.  
"Deidre Conall!" He yelled in a high voice. Deidre looked like serenity personified as she turned around with the pot in her hands; "Grandfather, how good to see you, are you staying for dinner?"  
"Now you listen to me young lady! I see through my fingers with a lot of the things you do but _YOU DO NOT _mess with the weather! You hear me?" His voice was still very high but had taken a step down from yelling. Deidre didn't even blink but calmly put the pot down on the table and started serving the three of them.  
"Sit." She motioned for both Fili and Gandalf to take a seat.  
"Now, why shouldn't I mess with the weather? It is unstable as it is anyway."  
"You are making it worse! There will be trouble all over Middle Earth because of your little tantrum earlier! I don't care if you blow up a mountain range, dry out the lake or anything else but _STAY AWAY FROM THE WEATHER _and that is final." He grumped and took the bowl she handed to him.  
Fili watched her out of the corner of his eye and saw that her jaw was tense even if her eyes were still smiling, she bowed her head in surrender; "Yes grandfather, I will not touch the weather..." Fili saw her mouth the words 'on purpose' to herself and he hid a small smile behind his hand._


	32. Chapter 31

The days grew shorter and the weather truly was a mess, snowstorms followed back to back and one morning she found herself trapped inside Erebor, the snow was too high for her to be able to get herself to Dale safely. She had spent the night in Fili's chambers even if they were now their chambers. He was still sleeping so she wrapped herself in a heavy robe and tiptoed out the room, closely followed by Chip and the fox. She led them down to the big kitchens where it was still silent and calm before the chefs came to make breakfast. Her mental watch told her that it was probably not more than three in the morning but for some reason she was unable to get back to sleep. She poured some water for the animals and started searching the cabinets for ingredients to make pancakes.

 _A feeling that something wasn't right woke him up from a very nice dream. He reached out only to feel the empty bed next to him. It was cool too so Deidre had been out of it for some time. He already knew that he would find her in the kitchen. It was the place she always went when she had trouble sleeping. A cold wind ripped through the halls of the mountain, someone must have left a door open on the higher levels somewhere, and so he pulled on his pants and his boots, putting a cloak around his shoulders and went downwards. The closer he got the heavier the scent of pancakes became, but just as he was about to round the corner he heard her talking to someone and stopped.  
"So that is the way you want to do it then? Are you sure it will work?" Gandalf's voice floated out to him, of course her grandfather was there. He seemed to never sleep more than one hour at a time.  
"Yes, I am not ready to leave here but I _need _to get a message through to them. And since he is made out of love and holds my print I am 99 percent sure that it will work."  
"But only 99? What if he doesn't make it through, how will you know?"  
"I am his mother, of course I will know. And if it looks like it won't work, I will pull him back to me."  
Fili scratched his beard, what, and whom were they talking about?_ _  
Her soft voice sounded near his right ear; "You can come in my love, I know you are there." And a small, soft wind nudged him in the back so he had no other option but to step around the corner and into the kitchens. She was sitting with her legs crossed on a countertop, barefoot, dressed in a pair of baggy pants of dwarfish decent, a shirt she had brought with her and a cloak was thrown over a stool not far from her. Gandalf was sitting on another stool opposite to her with wrinkled eyebrows, scribbling on a piece of parchment.  
She bent down and kissed him on the lips as he approached her, all while handing him a plate of pancakes; "Thank you." He whispered and felt her smile against his lips._

"Yes, I do think you are right, it is absolutely possible to send him over." Her grandfather straightened up from the paper he had been scribbling on. She gave him a smug face;  
"I know." And laughed at his insulted face, causing him to melt instantly.  
"What are you talking about?" Her fiancé asked with a mouth full of pancakes.  
"I really need to get a message through to my parents, to let them know that I am all right and alive. We are sending Chip. He was created by Bofur, for me, and when I brought him to life I put a small part of myself in him, and that part will be just enough for him to go through the rift and find his way to my parents."  
"But won't it be dangerous for him in your world? You said that animals are not allowed inside the city limits. What if someone catches him?"  
She put a finger against her nose; "Watch this." She reached out through the link to Chip and immediately he left the warm bundle he had formed with the fox and skipped over to her.

 _'_ _Chip, I am going to do something that makes it able for my mate and my elder to hear you, is that all right with you, little brother? It won't hurt.'_

 _'_ _I trust you.'_ He told her. The other two couldn't see anything, Gandalf probably felt the magic but Fili just looked at her with curious eyes.

She gathered her thoughts and with the flick of a finger, a gesture that wasn't really necessary she released them.

"There, how does that feel?" She asked the little squirrel out loud.  
" _I… I…. It feels not bad._ " Came the stuttering answer. Fili gasped and pushed his stool back a bit in shock. Even Gandalf looked surprised and his eyebrows were almost up to his hairline.

"How did you do that?" Fili gasped. She wiggled her fingers at him and grinned;  
"Magic darling, magic.' Then she turned to the small animal in front of her;  
'Now, you remember what I taught you?"  
" _Yes sister."_ He said.  
"What will you do if someone sees you?"  
" _Run as fast as I can towards the city._ "  
"And if that doesn't work?"  
He looked up at her with eyes full of trust, after all, he had a piece of her inside. Then he wrapped the tail around his hind legs and stood completely still, almost looking like he was once again made out of wood.  
"Where did he go?' Fili asked; 'It's like I can see him but not really."  
"I know that is the best part. If someone is remotely close to capture him he sort of disappears from their line of view. He is still there, only you really can't focus on him. It is a bit hard to explain but that was the best defence system I could think of." She reached out and patted the little squirrel on the head.  
"You did well little brother."  
" _Thank you._ " He replied.  
"Do you wish to keep this voice?"  
" _If it's not too much to ask._ "  
"Of course not little brother." She smiled down at him and caressed his head.

"So when will he cross over, and where?"  
"Where you found me of course. And the time will be the midwinter celebrations."  
"But that is only two weeks away and the roads are blocked by all the snow, how will you be able to get there in time?" he asked. She shared a long look with her grandfather and he sighed and shook his head;  
"Fine. But you have to deal with the consequences!" he was talking about the weather again.  
"Yes grandfather." She jumped of the countertop and kissed his cheek.

A short, very round dwarf walked into the kitchen; "Good morning sirs, my lady. I am afraid I have to commandeer the kitchen now for breakfast to be ready in time."  
"Thank you so much for letting me use it."  
"My pleasure Princess. Now shoo!" The head chef showed them out of the kitchen and they all walked back upstairs.  
"Let me know when you are leaving Deidre."  
"Yes sir." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Gandalf's cheek then she hooked her arm through Fili's and they walked back towards their rooms. The rest of the day they planned their departure for the day after the next. After going to bed Fili fell asleep at an instant just like he always did but somehow she couldn't seem to relax despite her early morning so she snuck out of the bed again, pulled on her favourite skirt and soft tunic and slowly closed the door behind her.

The days grew shorter and the weather truly was a mess, snowstorms followed back to back and one morning she found herself trapped inside Erebor, the snow was too high for her to be able to get herself to Dale safely. She had spent the night in Fili's chambers even if they were now their chambers. He was still sleeping so she wrapped herself in a heavy robe and tiptoed out the room, closely followed by Chip and the fox. She led them down to the big kitchens where it was still silent and calm before the chefs came to make breakfast. Her mental watch told her that it was probably not more than three in the morning but for some reason she was unable to get back to sleep. She poured some water for the animals and started searching the cabinets for ingredients to make pancakes.

 _A feeling that something wasn't right woke him up from a very nice dream. He reached out only to feel the empty bed next to him. It was cool too so Deidre had been out of it for some time. He already knew that he would find her in the kitchen. It was the place she always went when she had trouble sleeping. A cold wind ripped through the halls of the mountain, someone must have left a door open on the higher levels somewhere, and so he pulled on his pants and his boots, putting a cloak around his shoulders and went downwards. The closer he got the heavier the scent of pancakes became, but just as he was about to round the corner he heard her talking to someone and stopped.  
"So that is the way you want to do it then? Are you sure it will work?" Gandalf's voice floated out to him, of course her grandfather was there. He seemed to never sleep more than one hour at a time.  
"Yes, I am not ready to leave here but I _need _to get a message through to them. And since he is made out of love and holds my print I am 99 percent sure that it will work."  
"But only 99? What if he doesn't make it through, how will you know?"  
"I am his mother, of course I will know. And if it looks like it won't work, I will pull him back to me."  
Fili scratched his beard, what, and whom were they talking about?_ _  
Her soft voice sounded near his right ear; "You can come in my love, I know you are there." And a small, soft wind nudged him in the back so he had no other option but to step around the corner and into the kitchens. She was sitting with her legs crossed on a countertop, barefoot, dressed in a pair of baggy pants of dwarfish decent, a shirt she had brought with her and a cloak was thrown over a stool not far from her. Gandalf was sitting on another stool opposite to her with wrinkled eyebrows, scribbling on a piece of parchment.  
She bent down and kissed him on the lips as he approached her, all while handing him a plate of pancakes; "Thank you." He whispered and felt her smile against his lips._

"Yes, I do think you are right, it is absolutely possible to send him over." Her grandfather straightened up from the paper he had been scribbling on. She gave him a smug face;  
"I know." And laughed at his insulted face, causing him to melt instantly.  
"What are you talking about?" Her fiancé asked with a mouth full of pancakes.  
"I really need to get a message through to my parents, to let them know that I am all right and alive. We are sending Chip. He was created by Bofur, for me, and when I brought him to life I put a small part of myself in him, and that part will be just enough for him to go through the rift and find his way to my parents."  
"But won't it be dangerous for him in your world? You said that animals are not allowed inside the city limits. What if someone catches him?"  
She put a finger against her nose; "Watch this." She reached out through the link to Chip and immediately he left the warm bundle he had formed with the fox and skipped over to her.

 _'_ _Chip, I am going to do something that makes it able for my mate and my elder to hear you, is that all right with you, little brother? It won't hurt.'_

 _'_ _I trust you.'_ He told her. The other two couldn't see anything, Gandalf probably felt the magic but Fili just looked at her with curious eyes.

She gathered her thoughts and with the flick of a finger, a gesture that wasn't really necessary she released them.

"There, how does that feel?" She asked the little squirrel out loud.  
" _I… I…. It feels not bad._ " Came the stuttering answer. Fili gasped and pushed his stool back a bit in shock. Even Gandalf looked surprised and his eyebrows were almost up to his hairline.

"How did you do that?" Fili gasped. She wiggled her fingers at him and grinned;  
"Magic darling, magic.' Then she turned to the small animal in front of her;  
'Now, you remember what I taught you?"  
" _Yes sister."_ He said.  
"What will you do if someone sees you?"  
" _Run as fast as I can towards the city._ "  
"And if that doesn't work?"  
He looked up at her with eyes full of trust, after all, he had a piece of her inside. Then he wrapped the tail around his hind legs and stood completely still, almost looking like he was once again made out of wood.  
"Where did he go?' Fili asked; 'It's like I can see him but not really."  
"I know that is the best part. If someone is remotely close to capture him he sort of disappears from their line of view. He is still there, only you really can't focus on him. It is a bit hard to explain but that was the best defence system I could think of." She reached out and patted the little squirrel on the head.  
"You did well little brother."  
" _Thank you._ " He replied.  
"Do you wish to keep this voice?"  
" _If it's not too much to ask._ "  
"Of course not little brother." She smiled down at him and caressed his head.

"So when will he cross over, and where?"  
"Where you found me of course. And the time will be the midwinter celebrations."  
"But that is only two weeks away and the roads are blocked by all the snow, how will you be able to get there in time?" he asked. She shared a long look with her grandfather and he sighed and shook his head;  
"Fine. But you have to deal with the consequences!" he was talking about the weather again.  
"Yes grandfather." She jumped of the countertop and kissed his cheek.

A short, very round dwarf walked into the kitchen; "Good morning sirs, my lady. I am afraid I have to commandeer the kitchen now for breakfast to be ready in time."  
"Thank you so much for letting me use it."  
"My pleasure Princess. Now shoo!" The head chef showed them out of the kitchen and they all walked back upstairs.  
"Let me know when you are leaving Deidre."  
"Yes sir." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Gandalf's cheek then she hooked her arm through Fili's and they walked back towards their rooms. The rest of the day they planned their departure for the day after the next. After going to bed Fili fell asleep at an instant just like he always did but somehow she couldn't seem to relax despite her early morning so she snuck out of the bed again, pulled on her favourite skirt and soft tunic and slowly closed the door behind her.


	33. Chapter 32

On bare feet she walked down the stairs towards the throne room. She knew that Thorin sometimes had trouble sleeping as well and they had spent more than a few nights sitting either just the two of them or in company of Bilbo, playing chess, talking about everything and anything. Some nights he asked her for help if there were a tricky situation he wasn't sure how to handle and other times they just sat in silence, he smoked his pipe and she reading a book. She smiled when she heard the soft crackling of a fire and walked into the big living room-like room next to the throne room. The door was open just a crack and she could see him set up the chessboard.  
"Permission to enter, my King?" She pushed the door open. He lifted his head with a soft smile; "Permission granted Lady Deidre." She sat down opposite to him and since he had the white once, he made the first move. At first they played in silence but after a few moves he cleared his throat;  
"I heard that you were going back to Thranduil?"  
"Yes. But only for a short while. I have found a way to get a message through to my parents and it is something I really have to do."  
"You don't have to convince me about it. I understand all too well. But since you are engaged to my sisters son, you need an appropriate escort."  
"Escort? Thorin, forgive me, but I am very much capable of taking care of myself. Besides I was thinking about only taking Fili and Kili with me. That way we will get there much faster and I will have time to make the necessary preparations that is needed."  
"Preparations?" He raised an eyebrow and moved his queen.  
"Yes, it is hard to explain though… Magic you know." She looked up at the bearded King, winked and wiggled her fingers earning herself a chuckle. They played in silence for some time and after he had once again beaten her they moved over to a big sofa. Thorin smoked a pipe and had a big tankard of mead in his hand. She made a cup of tea appear on the armrest and folded her legs under her.

"Thorin."  
"Yes?"  
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did they cure you from the dragon sickness? Fili told me about it.' He furred his brow and she hastily added; 'If you don't want to talk about it please excuse my clumsiness, I did not mean to step on a sore toe."  
"Calm down Deidre, I won't yell at you. And of course you can ask. Fili was right to tell you, you will be, if you are not already, a part of this family.' He stroke his beard, took a long sip from his tankard and cleared his throat; 'There is something about being stabbed that really gets to you, you know? But the second time, when I got back here after the elves had cured me, I was too sick in the beginning from my injuries to feel it but as I healed it came back again. That was when my dear sister stepped in, gave me a few good smacking's over the head and, oh, she yelled at me too. That helped more than anything. Anytime now I start to feel it, I just imagine her hand across my face and somehow it just melts away like liquefied gold."

She giggled and could clearly imagine Dís smacking her brother across the face. It was a tough woman that was a perfect match to her brother in stubbornness. At that moment the door opened and Bilbo came in; "Are you two planning to stay up all night again? I can hear you all the way into the bedroom." He was dressed in a nightshirt and a pair of pants.  
"I'm sorry. I'll be right in." Thorin smiled at him. She stretched and yawned;  
"I really need some sleep to, thank you for your company my king." She curtsied and he bowed slightly.  
"Good night darling." He turned around and put his arm around the shoulders of the shorter man as they walked towards the bedchamber. She smiled and walked up the big stairs towards her sleeping fiancé.

Quietly she stripped out of her clothes and slipped down under the blankets. Fili turned around and put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.  
"Have you been to see my uncle?" He murmured against her neck.  
"How could you tell?"  
"You smell of pipe tobacco." She more felt than heard the chuckle in his chest as a response to her own giggle.  
"You have a good nose my love." She turned to face him and caught his smiling lips in a kiss.  
He embraced her and she lost all thoughts of rifts and dragon sickness.


	34. Chapter 33

_Dear mum and dad_ , she held the quill over the parchment and some ink dripped down on to it, staining it. She mumbled a few well-chosen curses, glad that none of the dwarfs were around, they always seemed shocked over her choice of words. She was sitting in her house in Dale, the fox at her feet and the squirrel sleeping on the bed. It was the evening before they had to leave and she desperately tried to come up with an explanation for her parents as she couldn't be there herself to explain. She crumpled up the paper to a ball and threw it across the room so it bounced off the wall. She heaved a sigh and grabbed a new sheet, dipping the quill in the ink again.  
 _'Dear mummy and daddy, oh how I miss you both so much of every second of every day. By now I take it that Chip has told you his story, it is true and I beg of you to read this letter until the very end. There is no need to tell you everything once again but I could not send him though without giving you a word directly from me. For starters; the small pictures which hopefully haven't been ruined in this foul weather, are proof that it really is me._

 _Let's take it from the top? After you dropped me off at the forest I hiked for about two and a half days before I tripped over a rooting and fell through what we have discovered to be a rift. It opens up around midsummer and mid-winter. I landed in this strange world where there are elves (more about them later), dwarfs, dragons and wizards (more about this too). Two dwarfs, here I will add; all dwarfs are about my height, give or take a few inches, bearded and stubborn as hell… I lost my track didn't I? Right; two dwarf brothers found me, I had been knocked unconscious in my fall, they were visiting some elves whom took me in and helped me heal again. I met this wonderful elfish man, Logon, he taught me their language; Sindarin, and everything about their culture. He is really wonderful, patient, kind and loving. Don't be afraid, he is like an older brother to me, and please don't scream now but he kind of adopted me into the family so technically I_ **am** _his younger sister. He is the second cousin of King Thranduil, the elfish king here, whom is really nice even if he too can be a bit stubborn. That is something I have noticed here; everyone seems to be stubborn as hell… Anyway! So, your daughter is somewhat of a royalty now, how about that?! Well, to the brothers whom saved me; Fili and Kili. They are adorable, they kept me company while I was recovering, turned out I got a concussion, a sprained ankle and a lot of bruises (thanks for the painkillers, they really helped!)… They are both very kind and charming and a bit competitive with one another. After I recovered I was invited to come with them to their home, they live in a place called Erebor, and their uncle is the King there. A lot of kings everywhere, I know! So I left Logon and the elves and came to Erebor with Fili and Kili. Here (as I am still living partly in Erebor, partly in the human city called Dale) I was introduced to the court, I met their mother, a wonderful woman, and mum you would have loved her, amongst other things._

 _You remember how grandmama Louise told us about her mother Camille, how she disappeared into nowhere and emerged a bunch of years later? Well… I met her husband, my great grandfather. His name is Gandalf, he is a wizard, so I guess now we know where my powers are coming from? He has really taken good care of me when we had worked out our relationship and the control I have over my powers have really improved a lot! Logon gave me a cane when I was still limping around on one leg and it has really helped me channel my thoughts and when I try to do something new…'_

She kept on writing until the lights burned down and her hand aced. She blew on the ink to get it to dry. Along with the letters she attached tiny drawings that a woman in Dale had made of her, Fili, Logon and Gandalf. They were small enough to fit in the little envelope she would put her letter in. She rubbed her eyes and crawled in bed, cradling the little fox to her chest and the squirrel slept on her hip. She had written down everything that had happened in the months since she arrived to this world. She told them about her name day celebration, the engagement to Fili and everything else. To prove that it was really from her she ripped out the title page of the book she had brought with her from her own world. She carefully put everything, along with her now useless cell phone, into a plastic bag she had kept in her backpack, so that it would not get wet.

The next morning she awoke by someone entering her front door;  
"Deidre? Are you up?" it was Fili.  
"Up here!" She quickly got out of bed and pulled a nightgown over her head, not knowing if he had brought his brother inside with him. He came up the stairs, alone, and looked over the railing at her with a wrinkled brow;  
"Had a late night again darling?"  
"I wrote to my parents, had a hard time putting the quill down. It's so much I want to tell them you know?"  
He came over to her and embraced her, kissing her forehead;  
"I know my love, I know." They stood there, just holding each other for a few minutes before breaking it of so she could get dressed.

As she emerged from the house with Chip on her shoulder and the fox by her feet she was dressed in elven clothes; tight leggings, soft boots, a long sleeved tunic and a heavy fur lined cloak and hood. Faran stomped eagerly and she felt the anticipation coming from him as she mounted the big horse. It was still early so they were almost alone and the only sound was the fox's claws against the cobblestone and the sound the hooves of the horses made.


	35. Chapter 34

The first couple of days on their trip was highly uneventful although they were a bit rushed by the heavy storm clouds gathering above the trees. On the afternoon on their third day the snow caught up with them and they ushered the horses into a steady gallop, trying to outrun the weather.  
"Can't you do something about this?" Fili yelled over the wind as they made their way towards the Woodland Realm.  
"I tried but there is no stopping it!"  
"We should hurry before it gets worse!" Kili said as the wind took another swing at them, blowing snow in their eyes and noses.

Hoof sounds were heard over the raging storm and then a voice called out to them;  
"Deidre, is that you?" She sighed of relief under her hood;  
"Logon! We are over here!"  
Her brother, together with Tauriel and a few other guardsmen met them and lead them towards their halls. She saw that the trees had been shaped like a wall against the weather and well inside the big gates the wind stopped. The snow was still falling and it was extremely cold, she could feel the horse shiver under her, but at least the biting wind was gone.  
"Come, let's get you all warm!" Logon helped her down from Faran's broad back, a member of the guard took his reins and together the two of them, closely followed by Fili; Kili had stayed to reunite with Tauriel once more, they walked towards the rooms they had commandeered on their last visit.

A huge fire was burning in the fireplace and a warm bath had been arranged, Fili excused himself and went to his own rooms were the same thing greeted him.

A big screen was placed around the tub so she stepped behind it and quickly tried to get all the knots open with her shaking fingers. Eventually it worked and she sunk herself into the tub while Logon was sitting on her bed, caring for the animals. Chip had climbed down into one of her saddlebags when she asked him and the fox cub, she had lifted up in her lap, holding onto him with one arm. That was when she thanked her lucky star for being able to communicate with the animals, it made it easier to calm them all down.

From the other side of the screen she heard Logon talk softly to the two of them, calming them and warming them.  
"Are you all right in there?" He asked. She had dozed off in the warm water but his words woke her instantly and she rose from the tub, the water now cool.  
"Yeah, sorry, I dozed off." She dried of and wrapped a big robe around her, walking barefoot around the screen. The cub and the squirrel were sleeping in the middle of the bed and Logon's sitting at the table pouring her steaming tea into a mug;  
"Here sister, this will warm you."  
She cradled the cup in her hands, feeling the warmth return. She sat down in one of the big chairs and took a long look at her brother.  
"Logon, you need sleep, you look horrible." He had bags under his eyes, his normally shiny hair was matte and the smile always playing on his lips were smaller and never quite reached his eyes like it always did.  
"I'm fine." He shrugged.  
"No, you're not. What's wrong?"  
He sighed; "I am just worried about you."  
"Me? Why?"  
"That somehow you won't be able to send Chip through and accidentally fall through yourself, after all we don't know exactly where that rift is. And I am afraid to lose you forever. You are my sister, even if you live with the dwarfs, you were still here first. I love you and I would hate to lose you forever."  
The elf looked at her with tears in his eyes, she felt hers fill up too so she put the cup down and closed the distance between them, climbing up into his lap. He put his arms around her and held her like she was just a little child.  
"I promise to stay away from the rift. That is why we had come now, so that I can search through the area before it opens, it is a week 'til mid-winter, which will give me time enough. And the staff you gave me really helps. I practised a lot with grandfather and he is confident enough that I will make it. I love you too Logon, you are my brother and the first one who really took me in as family here, there is not words enough to say how much you mean to me." She wiped away a stray tear from her cheek and smiled up at him. The smile she got back reached his eyes and he looked almost like his normal self again.  
"And for me living in Erebor, I don't care, you are always welcome to visit me, either there or in my house in Dale. Always."

He kissed the top of her head; "If you only promise to visit me too, it had been too long since last."  
"It was two months ago."  
"That is two months too long." He smirked and she giggled, feeling very contempt with the situation.

That evening they had a big banquet, after all, the crown prince, his betrothed – the elvish sorceress and his younger brother were visiting King Thranduil's court. At first the two brothers were feeling a bit uncomfortable being the only dwarfs there but as the elves they had gotten to know during their recovery started to show up and interact with them they both loosened up. She laughed when a couple of elvish women tried to show the sturdy brothers an elvish dance, unfortunately their legs were not really made for that sort of dancing.  
"Why don't you try then?" Kili yelled up to her, where she was sitting with Logon, Legolas and Thranduil.  
"Fine!" She excused herself and went down to her fiancée and the others.


	36. Chapter 35

_The next four days flew by, he hardly saw Deidre, she was so occupied with the preparations of what was about to go down. The day after the banquet Logon had introduced her to an ancient looking elf and since then, she had spent every waken minute with him._

 _The day that marked the mid-winter he woke up, not surprised to feel the empty bed beside him. It was a clear day, not a cloud in sight, the only thing that marked the difference between the day he and Kili had encountered her for the first time was the snow on the ground and the chill in the air. He got up and dressed in warm clothes only to smash right into Deidre as he opened the door to step outside.  
"Ouch my nose!' She grabbed her face and grinned at him behind her hands; 'good your up, I thought you would sleep all day! C'mon it's almost time!"  
"Good morning to you too.' He smiled, she was practically jumping up and down with excitement; 'let me check your nose first." He forced her hands down from her face and stared at her, her nose looked perfectly fine and she leaned in and kissed him deeply.  
"Good morning." A mocking smile against his lips and then she grabbed his hand and pulled him along towards the throne room. They were all there, Kili, Logon, Legolas, Thranduil, Tauriel and the old elf he still didn't have a name on. Also Chip, the squirrel and the nameless fox cub was there.  
"I thought Gandalf was coming?"  
"No, he thinks I can do this on my own and therefor I _will _do it alone. But we must hurry, it has to be done at the same time that I came through myself.' She bowed towards Thranduil; 'thank you for your hospitality my lord."  
He bowed his head slightly with a raised eyebrow; "You sound like you won't come back Deidre."  
"I apologize. Now we need to hurry. Let's see, you can all come with us but you must stay at the spot where Tauriel met up with Fili and Kili after they had found me, otherwise things might get catastrophically wrong. Tauriel, how many were there in your company when you met the dwarfs and me?"  
"Me and three of the guard. Why?" the redhead replied.  
"I'm afraid that I must stay here, a king is never off duty even if an adventure sounds wonderfully fun." Thranduil chimed in as he sat down on the throne and crossed his legs.  
"Okay. Will the rest of you come?' They all nodded and she turned towards the fox cub; 'Now." They could all see the silent conversation that was going on, eventually the cub trotted over towards the king, took one look at him, jumped up and rolled up in his lap, instantly falling asleep.  
"Where we are going, he can't come. He trusts you, will you look after him until we're back?" She looked up at her adoptive uncle with a pleading look on her face.  
"I will dear niece, he is in safe hands. Time is wasting, go, before it is too late." She bowed her head and with a deep breath turned around, Chip on her shoulder and lead them all out in the cold sunlight. _

_They walked for almost one and a half hour before they reached the spot where they had to leave the elves behind. The old elf was riding on a crisp white stallion, wrapped up in blankets and heavy furs.  
"Stay here, we will be back as soon as we can. No matter what you hear; _don't _come. I can't guarantee your safety if you do." By now he hardly recognized his beloved. She was dressed in clothes she had brought with her from her world, skin tight pants and the same black shirt as she had when he found her. Her hair hung freely around her face and despite the cold, she didn't even shiver. Her eyes were black and focused on the task at hand. Chip was sitting on her shoulder wearing a small harness strapped around his back where she had put the things for her parents. She hugged her brother and caught Fili's eye, giving him a small smile before taking his hand; "no need to drag it out, let's go." Hand in hand they walked towards the forest, Kili following closely behind them._

 _It was maybe half an hour or so later when she whimpered and put her hands to her temples and closed her eyes.  
"Darling what's wrong?" He quickly approached her but she shrugged away.  
"Don't touch me!' She hissed through clenched teeth; 'we are close now. Stay here." He didn't even have time to start protesting when she pressed on, as if she was forcing herself through a swamp._

The pain was almost unbearable but she pressed on, feeling the rift almost as if it was hooked to her ribs, pulling her inwards. At the foot of the hill she stopped and crouched, taking Chip in her hands. Mumbling soft words to him that the elderly elf without a name had taught her she transferred just that small part of her that was the rift-traveller onto him. With every syllable that left her lips, the pain eased even though it hurt her to see the pain running though the body of the small animal. When the last word left her lips he was shivering, anxious to get away, so she pressed her lips against his little head, just between the ears and lowered him to the ground. Still crouching she watched him skip upwards, as if answering an unheard call. Just at the top of the hill he stopped, turned around and raised a small paw in a wave before almost vanishing into thin air. She could still feel the rift but now it was more of an itch she couldn't reach. She bowed her head;  
"Good luck little brother. I hope you find your way through to them."  
It was uncertain how much time had passed when she felt Fili's strong arms around her body as he picked her up, just like he had last time they were in this spot. Kili walked close to them, carrying her cane, and she could once again hear their distant mumbling though the haze of her worn out mind.

 _"_ _What happened? Is she all right?!" Logon came rushing over to meet them as they came back through the forest.  
"We think it worked. She sat a long time on the ground with Chip before he left and then it looked like she was in trance, we were afraid to touch her but then her lips started to turn blue so we couldn't stay back any longer. She was awake when I picked her up but I think she is sleeping now." Fili explained. Then a cracking voice, as old as time itself sounded;  
"Sleep is what she need now. The deed is done and it is time to heal for her." It was the elf on the horse that had spoken. It turned the stallion around without a sound and lead them back towards_ _the woodland realm._


	37. Chapter 36

_The woman was sitting at the kitchen table, she looked worn out and tired. The coffee cup beside her long since forgotten. The kitchen smelled of old newspapers, cold coffee and home. She jerked her head up at the sound of a small tap on the window and when she saw the little squirrel wearing a harness she rushed up and yelled for her husband; "DEAN! You better get in here!" She opened the window and the little animal jumped in, shaking its paws to get rid of the snow.  
Dean came running and stopped to stare at the small creature; "What in the name of sanity?" He whispered under his breath. The squirrel looked him dead in the eye and his wife could just watch as he lifted the small shivering creature and put him down on the table that was covered with missing person-notes, photos of their daughter and different witness-reports. He carefully released the harness that looked like a small leather backpack off it's back.  
"Get him some milk and maybe some nuts if we have any." His tone was low and she quickly poured some milk on a plate and cut up some ham. The squirrel gave her a thankful look and drank greedily. After carefully whipping its whiskers it sat down on its hind legs and looked her dead in the eye; "Thank you." A tiny voice. She stared at it in shock and then to her husband.  
"What?!" She sat down at the table again._

 _"_ _You are Deidre's mother and father.' It said; 'I am Chip. Given to her as a gift for her name day and she brought me to life. She is the reason I am here."_

 _Deidre's parents stared at the small creature as it told them everything about what had happened. And as proof they opened up the small pouch it had carried. Out fell a thick parchment, folded many times and covered in her small handwriting, the cell phone she had carried with her wrapped in a plastic bag and a few other things. Liv unfolded the letter and read out loud;  
_ "Dear mummy and daddy, oh how I miss you both so much of every second of every day. By now I take it that Chip has told you his story, it is true and I beg of you to read this letter until the very end. There is no need to tell you everything once again but I could not send him though without giving you a word directly from me. For starters; the small pictures which hopefully haven't been ruined in this foul weather, are proof that it really is me…"  
 _They read the whole letter twice, looking at the pictures and trying to take everything in. Chip skipped over to her mother and up her arm only to nuzzle his little face close to hers causing her to break down in tears. Her father took her in his arms and with tearful eyes he looked up and out the window;  
"Oh my sweet summer child, I am so glad that you are alive."_

She sat straight up in bed; "Dad!" only to look around and see the bedroom she shared with Fili. Tears filled her eyes and she sobbed.  
"Deidre?" Fili sat up next to her, rubbed his eyes with one hand and pulled her close with the other.

"Oh Fili, it worked, Chip made it, they know that I am alive!" Tears streamed down her face but they were tears of joy this time.  
"How do you know?"  
"I saw it in a dream. A true dream, my father must have sent it to me."  
"That is wonderful!" He leaned in and kissed her softly. As the kiss deepened, the dream faded but a small lingering scent from her parent's kitchen stayed in her nose. 


	38. Chapter 37

The months after their adventure rushed by and one hot summer day she found herself in Dís cooled quarters, looking at herself in the polished dark stone the dwarfs used for a mirror. She was dressed in a foot long, white dress made out of the softest fabrics the elves could produce. She had designed it herself with some help from Dís and an elfish young girl that acted almost like her handmaiden these days; Orwen. She was tall, slender, had very blonde, almost white hair, purple eyes and round cheeks. Logon had asked her to take the girl in and after all his pleading she could no longer say no. That had been three months ago and the girls grew closer every day.

The dress was the perfect mix between her three family's; elves, dwarfs and humans. It had a simple cut, left her shoulders bare with long sleeves reaching almost to her fingertips. To it she wore a thin silver chain, ending in a round pendant with ambers engraved. Her feet, to Dís dislike were bare. The woman had objected many times to this but Deidre had made up her mind a long time ago, she wanted to be barefoot at her wedding.  
"There, you look lovely my lady." Orwen attached a thin veil in her braided hair and stepped back.  
"Yes I do. I couldn't have done it without you though. Thank you." Deidre gave her a smile which the girl replied too shyly.  
"Flowers! We have forgotten a bouquet!" Dís looked horrified.  
"No I haven't." Deidre gave her a calm, reassuring smile and held out her hand causing the others to gasp; from nowhere, lavender coloured flowers that had never been seen in this world appeared in her hand and the room filled with a soft scent.

Followed by the fox that were no longer a cub the trio walked down towards the big doors that were the main gates. The wedding were to be held outside on a big opening between Dale and Erebor. Mostly because so many wanted to attend that they would never fit in any of the great halls of the mountain.  
Her brother met her and gave her a huge smile; "I have to say sister, practically _everyone_ is here. No one wants to miss the great sorceress marry the crown prince of Erebor. Come, they are waiting." He took her arm and led her out in the gazing sunlight. He was right, she could see everyone she knew or knew off turning their heads to look at her.  
Slowly she walked among the crowd up towards Fili that stood with his uncle and his brother together with Gandalf at the far end of the sea of people.

The wedding ceremony went by quicker than she had thought and then the partying started. Tables loaded with food came from both Dale and Erebor, musicians played joyful tunes and she danced with everyone and anyone until her feet hurt but none as many times as with her husband. When the fireflies flew low and many had disappeared back towards their homes she and Fili danced slowly in the area close to the music.  
"Are you happy?" He whispered.  
"Yes I am." She smiled at him, her eyes just in the same level as his since he had boots on and she was still barefoot. He leaned forward and kissed her softly;  
"What do you say we take this party somewhere a little private?"  
"I really wouldn't mind at all." She whispered back, feeling all too well through the thin layers of fabric what he meant. So he picked her up in his arms and slowly they disappeared into the shadows towards their chambers in the Mountain, already forgetting the people still at the party.


	39. Epilouge

"Mommy, I'm hungry!" A little hand yanked her skirts and she looked down into the golden eyes of her eldest daughter of five, Olivia.  
"Calm down you little worm, the pie is soon finished." She smiled; 'why don't you go sit at the table, and take your little brother with you so the fox gets some sleep." She pointed over in the corner where a three year old, black haired and blue eyed boy was playing with the fox.  
"Okay mommy. I love you." She rustled the blonde hair of her daughters;  
"I love you too little worm." Then she bent forward the best she could, her stomach was huge and she felt like she was carrying a watermelon under her dress, and with the help of a towel pulled a tray with small apple pies, something Fili still disliked but their children loved, out of the oven just as there was a knock on the front door.  
"Just a second!" She yelled as she put the tray on the countertop, gave her children strict warnings not to touch it and waddled over towards the open door.

It was the house she had gotten almost six years ago and even if she was married to the crown prince, she had still kept it and the small bookshop too. The knock on the door was probably some of the kids from Dale that she tutored in reading.  
"I'm sorry, but the classes are not until after three…" She trailed of as she saw who the visitors were; a tall blonde with short hair and blue eyes together with a well-built man with salt and pepper hair, whiskey eyes and a squirrel on his shoulder.  
"Mum? Daddy?" She whispered and grabbed a hold of the doorpost.  
"Hey sweetheart. We missed you." Her father said as she stumbled down the steps and into their arms, tears flowing down her cheeks.

All was well.

The end.


End file.
